Saving Natalie
by Frogie48
Summary: Bella moves into a new apartment and meets a sweet, talkative little girl named Natalie. As they get to know each other Bella notices things that worry her. One night changes everything for Natalie and Bella meets handsome police officer Edward, they set out together to give Natalie a better life.
1. Chapter 1

Saving Natalie

Chapter 1

Looking around my new apartment I am overwhelmed. There is so much to unpack, I don't know where to start. I look at the time. "Only a quarter past one in the afternoon, that's all," I say to myself. I am so surprised how quickly I got here and unloaded my truck. My furniture won't be here till tomorrow so I am very limited on what I can really put away. I move to the kitchen. It is in the corner of the studio style apartment I rented. There are a few overhead cabinets and an island with more storage underneath. There are only three drawers under the limited counter space next to the sink and dishwasher, so not much room for all my kitchenware that currently sits in seven boxes on the island. I decide to unpack the dishes and cookware and see how far I get before I have to go to the store for groceries.

I unpack and put away all my dishes, and the majority of my kitchen boxes are now empty. I can already tell I will need extra cabinet space for my small appliances that now clutter the counters. I wish this place had a pantry like my old apartment, but I needed to make a change. Getting out of Forks was essential to my well-being. I brush off that line of thought and pull a pad of paper out of my purse. I need to make a list and get to the grocery store before I end up ordering pizza.

Once my list is made, I grab my purse and keys and head for the door. When I pull it open I am surprised to see a little girl playing in the hallway. She looks to be about seven or eight, with long blonde hair that hangs down to her waist. She's jumping back and forth in a pattern down the hall. I watch her for a moment before realizing that she is playing hopscotch without having drawn the boxes on the floor. She doesn't notice me, so I shut my door and turn to lock it. When I turn back around I find her staring at me with the most brilliant blue eyes. I go to introduce myself but she cuts me off, "I'm Natalie, what's your name?"

"Um, my name is Bella. I just moved in."

"Bella, that's a pretty name. You are pretty, so I guess that's why your mom named you that. I live here too, we are neighbors now. Do you have kids? It would be nice to play with someone, but there aren't any other kids in this building. It's boring. Mom says that kids aren't supposed to live here. I'm not supposed to be playing out here." She babbles on and on until I finally stop her.

"Natalie, it is very nice to meet you. I don't have any kids but maybe I can play with you later. I have to go to the store now though," I say, wondering why her need to talk so much makes me sad.

She looks down at her feet and mumbles something I can't understand before looking up and smiling widely. "I understand. I would love to play with you later. I'll look for you after supper," she says.

I smile at her and say good bye before walking toward the stairs. I live on the second floor so it only takes me a moment to get out to the street. I walk to my car that is parked about a half a block down. On my way I pass a woman leaning against the building smoking a cigarette. She looks familiar, but I know I don't know her. She has shoulder length bleach blonde hair and is dressed in a well-worn, short denim skirt and her t-shirt is hanging off her left shoulder. She is wearing high heeled boots and lace tights. My first thought was that she was a hooker. I felt sorry for her. She looked up at me and what I saw took my breath away. The same brilliant blue eyes that warmed my heart only five minutes ago now broke it into a million pieces. This was undoubtedly Natalie's mother or sister. There was no denying the likeness. The woman looked at me with disdainful curiosity.

I had to pull myself away from her to go to my car. I couldn't believe the likeness of the only two people I'd met since pulling into Seattle this morning. I vowed to myself that I'd keep an eye on my neighbors to make sure they were alright. There was just something about the woman's face that troubled me.

I shopped for over an hour and when I got to the check-out lane I had more food than I could ever possibly eat in a month. I noticed that there were many items I'd never buy for myself. Bags of chips, pudding packs, cookies, ice cream, sugary cereals and fruit snacks covered the conveyer belt. I guess I was planning to be the best neighbor that Natalie could ever ask for. I paid for my purchases and loaded the cart with my bags. On the way home I thought a lot about my neighbor. She was quite adorable. Her long blonde hair was nearly white and had absolutely no curl or wave to it at all. I can't even get hair that straight with a flat-iron. Her eyes are a striking blue but there is something, some emotion in them I can't place just yet. Her face has that softness that comes from innocence but it's slightly thin for a child of her age. Her nose is straight with a little bit of a lift on the end. She really is beautiful.

Her personality is what gets me. She has a genuine curiosity that seems to be normal for her age but the way she just talks and talks has me wondering if she ever gets to talk to anyone. She said there were no other kids in the building. I don't remember being asked about kids or reading anything saying kids weren't allowed. Strange. I'll have to look into that.

If that was her mother I saw outside, is she a hooker like I thought or is she just without better things to wear? I feel like I already know the answer to the last question.

When I pull up to the building I see her again. The woman with the beautiful blue eyes, only this time she is leaning into the window of a black Cadillac. I watch as she stands up and starts to walk away when she stops and suddenly gets into the car. The driver pulls away quickly. I suppose that's the answer I knew I'd find. At least they left instead of her taking him up to the apartment.

I get out and try to load as much as I can on my arms so I don't have to make too many trips to the car. As I trudge up the stairs with all but three bags and a gallon of milk, I hear crying. At the end of the hallway I notice Natalie sitting below the window hugging her knees. I take my bags to my door and set them down.

"Natalie," I say quietly. "What's wrong honey?"

She startles and looks up. Her eyes are swimming in tears and her cheek is red. I look closer and realize that the red mark is actually a hand print. I start to ask her about it but she speaks first.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she says wiping away the tears.

"You don't think I'm gonna believe that do you?" I say with as much gentle scolding in my voice as I can get without scaring her. "I know you have been crying and I can see the mark on your cheek. What happened?"

"I'm fine, really. I was crying because Mommy said I can't play with you tonight and I have to go in the apartment for the rest of the night. I only came out here to tell you so you didn't worry."

"Oh, I see. Why can't you play with me? Did she say?" I ask as I sit next to her on the floor. I am starting to get very angry at this woman. "Can I introduce myself to her? Maybe that will help."

"No it won't help besides she's not here. She's working tonight, that's why I have to stay inside." Just as she says that I hear her tummy growl. I have to close my eyes and breathe so as not to say something mean about her mother. "Did you eat? Before she left, did she fix you dinner?"

"No, but there's peanut butter in the kitchen. I'll be fine." I notice she doesn't say there is anything else.

"Can I help you fix it and get you set up for bed? It's almost eight o'clock." She starts shaking her head.

"No, I'll be fine. I don't have school tomorrow or anything so I can stay up late. She'll be home in a little while."

I know she is lying but there isn't much I can do. "If you're sure, I really don't like leaving you alone. You can knock on my door if you need anything. You shouldn't be alone like this, sweetie. How old are you?"

She smiles at me and says, "Nine. Well almost. My birthday is next Tuesday."

"Well I bought some snacks just for you and you are welcome to come visit me anytime you want. I'll talk to your mom next time I see her. What does she look like, so I know how to find her?" I ask, silently praying she tells me something I'm not expecting.

"She looks just like me. People think we are sisters." My heart sinks and I want to cry.

"Oh, ok then. That shouldn't be too hard to notice then should it?" I say as lightly as I possibly can under the circumstances. "What does your mom do? Where does she work?"

"She's a customer service specialist. That's what she calls it. I know better though. She spends time with men for money. I don't know why they would pay her to spend time with them because she is so boring. All she does when she's home is sleep."

I cough at her knowledge and the job title her mom came up with. "Do you have a phone, sweetie?" She nods and digs into her pocket pulling out a small flip phone.

"I have it for emergencies but it's almost out of minutes. Why?"

She shows me the phone and I see it only has a few minutes on it. I'm surprised she even has one so that helps my conscience. "I'm going to put my number in it, if that's ok. That way you can call me if you ever need anything." I wait for her to nod and then punch in my number and name before handing her phone back to her.

"Thank you Bella. I better go inside. I'll be ok. I've gotten good at being alone." Her words break my heart.

"I'm sorry honey. Are you sure you don't want to come over and eat supper with me?"

"No, I don't want to get in trouble if she comes home early. Thank you for asking though," she says, sounding much older than nine. Before I can answer her, she is closing the door to her apartment.

I stand up and head inside with my groceries. After putting it all away I realize that I still have a few things in the car so I head back down to get them. Once outside I see the same black Cadillac pull up and Natalie's mom get out. She walks to the door and I feel a little better knowing Natalie won't be alone tonight. I follow her up the stairs with the remainder of my groceries. I pass her as she is fumbling with the key to the apartment. I notice her hands shaking and offer to help her with the keys. She drops them at the sound of my voice. When I bend down to pick them up, she yells at me.

"I've got them!"

"Sorry, I was just trying to help. I'm Bella, I just moved in," I say hoping to get a name from her.

"Yeah, I figured that out. I'm Heidi, I guess you met Natalie," she says with a forced smile.

"Yeah, she's a cute kid."

She chuckles and shakes her head. "You should try living with her. Anyway, she's been told not to bother you. I'm sure you have better things to do than play with a little kid."

"She's not a bother. I really don't mind if she comes over. In fact I can help watch her for you."

Her eyes brighten and then narrow before she speaks. "Yeah, actually that would be helpful. I work a lot of weird hours and she doesn't like being alone."

I can see her working out a lie when she pauses. I don't want to hear some lame excuse for why she leaves her daughter alone so I jump in before she can speak.

"It's no problem, like I said she's a doll and I can always use the company," I say. "Just knock on the door when you need me. I work from home for now so I should be here most of the time."

She gives me a tentative smile and nods. "Thanks." She opens the door and slips inside leaving me standing there.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Once inside my own apartment I finish putting away my groceries and fix a light supper. I look around feeling like I have too much to do and head to my bedroom. Since I don't have any furniture I pull out my air mattress and set it up. I take a shower and dress in a pair of sweats and a tank top. I climb under the covers and open my laptop. I open a new Word document and start planning my next book.

With the royalties from my first novel and the advance I got for a new one, I was able to move from the tiny apartment in Forks to this, slightly larger, apartment in Seattle. I am getting mostly new furniture and bought a brand new laptop. The old fossil I used to write the first one was in dire need of retirement. I honestly don't know how I even finished the first book. I bought Charlie, my dad, a new computer and a new smartphone. He hates cell phones but when I showed him the sports app that goes along with his sports package on the dish, he was very eager to get started.

I felt bad leaving him behind but he loves me and refused to let me stay in Forks. He said it was better to be closer to the publisher than to keep driving back and forth every time they needed a meeting. He was right, of course. He also made me buy a new car. I left my old Ford there in his driveway and bought a new-to-me Chevy Impala. He made fun of me for buying a "cop car" but I didn't care.

Of course he also knew that I had to leave. Being that close to Tyler was just too hard. I needed to get out on my own and prove to myself that I could be successful doing what I love. I hate what his words did to me. I've never been the most confident person but after dating Tyler for just six months I was completely self-conscious and timid. I got used to hearing how stupid I was or how my plan to write a best-selling novel was a waste of time. I heard more than I could even count about every single flaw I had. My boobs were too small, I was too skinny, too plain, too timid, prude, lazy, stupid, boring, and ugly; the list goes on and on. I never paid much attention to my appearance before Tyler but while we were dating I had to be diligent about it. I had to fix my hair and do my make up every day. I couldn't gain or lose any weight or he'd pick on me for it. What started as some sweet compliments soon became mean spirited jabs at my psyche. He seemed really attentive and sweet at the beginning.

A few days into our relationship he told me that I should wear pink more because it made me look more beautiful than I already was. It was sweet and so normal but that changed. After about three months I began to notice that the little comments were becoming more common place. I asked why he was so unhappy with me and my appearance once after he spent fifteen minutes telling me in detail how bad I looked before we went out one night. He said that he was just tired of telling me how to make the most of my looks and distracted me with sweet kisses and sex. I didn't forget the way I felt that night. It was weird because while he was tearing me down I would feel horrible and completely useless but when he would kiss me or make love to me and tell me he loved me anyway, I would feel great, like I'd made it up to him. It took me three more months to figure out what he was really doing to me. I finished my book and set to work on getting published. I was so proud of myself but he kept backhanding his compliments with jabs to my appearance and then started in on my intelligence. When I got the news that a publisher wanted to work with me I was over the moon. We had a big dinner and I spent hours cooking and cleaning for our guests. I couldn't wait to tell them all my big news.

Flashback:

_That night at dinner I made the announcement that my book was being published. It was a crime novel. While it contained a love story it wasn't a romance novel. I had worked so hard on it, researching police procedure and criminal statistics and profiling to make it the most realistic I could. Everyone was so proud of me and my accomplishment. I had achieved my dream and what does Tyler do? He tells my father that slutty romance novels are easy to sell. "Anyone can sell a book full of fucking," he said. I began to defend myself saying it wasn't about sex and the book was more of a crime novel than a romance but he just started laughing and said he was just kidding. I felt really stupid, of course he was joking, he had read my book as I wrote it and said I was doing really well. I laughed at my stupidity and let him get away with it but as the night wore on I got more upset by his comment. _

_I asked him why he felt the need to make that joke at dinner. He rolled his eyes at me and told me not to worry my pretty little head about it. That patronizing tone just pissed me off. I told him to stop talking to me like I was a child. He told me to grow up and stop chasing stupid dreams, he wanted a wife that would pull her weight and raise a family not some fame whore. We argued for a while and I realized that I was in a terribly unhealthy relationship. I told him I was leaving and packed a bag. When I went to open the front door, he slammed it closed in my face and spun me around by my arm. He growled in my face, "You listen to me you little whore, no one will love you like I have, no one will want you like I have. You are a boring, mildly attractive, little girl who has no chance of keeping a man satisfied. There is no way you'll ever do better than me, so go on and walk out that door but just know I will only take you back once. When you come back to me, and you will come back, I will only take you back once. So you better think long and hard about our future." _

_I wanted to slap him but I decided I'd take the high road. "I think I've done plenty of thinking the last four months. You are an asshole and I'm so glad I found out just how much of one you are before I made a mistake and married your sorry ass. I am sorry that my appearance doesn't make you happy or that my intelligence is below your standard but if I remember correctly you were the one who pursued me, begging me for a solid month to go out with you. Weren't you the one who told me every hour how beautiful I was and how lucky you were to be with me? I don't know what happened to you or what changed but I feel sorry for you. It must be terrible to need to break people down just to have some control over them. The saddest part is that you didn't have to break me down to keep me, I was perfectly happy until you changed. Now I'm going to my father's and I don't plan to return. I want you to know that there is __**no**__ chance of me taking you back even once so you better think long and hard about your future." With that final word I left the house and drove to my dad's. I didn't think he'd follow me since I left him and hurt his ego, but I was wrong. While Charlie and I were talking on the couch I heard a car pull up. I figured it was my friends Jake or Leah but it was apparent that it was not when the fists started pounding on the door. Charlie ordered me to stay put while he went to the door. _

_"May I help you, Tyler?"_

_"Sir, I need to speak to Bella. I was an asshole to her tonight and owe her an apology," he says through sniveling tears. _

_"Well, Tyler, she doesn't want to speak to you. Perhaps you should go on home and get a few hours of sleep before you try again," Charlie said calmly. The next thing I heard was Tyler yelling at me from the door and Charlie pushing him out on the porch. Somehow Tyler overpowered my dad and barreled through the door. He grabbed me by my hair and lifted me off the sofa. He dragged me to the door where he met the business end of my dad's shot gun. _

_"Now boy, you can either let my daughter go and step outside or I will shoot you where you stand." Charlie made his point by cocking the gun and aiming at Tyler's face._

_Tyler shoved me to the floor and yelled at me but walked out of the house. My dad followed him all the way to his car and kept the gun on him until he was off the street. Then he calmly walked back inside and picked up the phone. I was stunned and still sitting on the floor when he called the station and reported Tyler, asking for someone to pick him up. I was even more stunned when he said he'd be pressing charges and wanted a few minutes alone with him before he was booked. _

My dad ended up leaving a nice shiner on Tyler's right eye and after pressing charges for forced entry and assault Tyler spent two weeks behind bars in the Forks city jail before he was let out on bond and awaited county court. I didn't see him again for a while but I ended up running into him at the grocery store in town. He didn't say a word but if looks could kill, I would have been dead in a heartbeat.

A week after the grocery store incident I overheard some people talking about us. I was at the diner with my dad and they were sitting in the booth behind me. Apparently I had left Tyler for no reason once I found out my book was being published. I had also provoked him and then pressed charges for assault. He was the poor, abandoned boyfriend and I was the evil fame hungry bitch. I didn't care about that because I knew it wasn't really true. The thing that hurt was that even the group of people behind me knew that he belittled me and tried to control me because they discussed it, but they all said I should have just made more of an effort to make him happy since he obviously loved me so much.

I couldn't take it anymore so I apologized to Charlie and stood to leave. Before I left I stopped at the table that contained most of the friends that I had made in high school and gently reminded them that it is never okay for someone to treat you like crap just because they say they love you. I didn't wait to see their faces, I just walked away.

I moved to Seattle two weeks later. My experience with Tyler has opened my eyes to a very common problem in relationships. Why do so many women put up with that kind of treatment? Love? Why do so many of us confuse that kind of abuse with love or true concern? Why is it okay for us to be belittled and made to feel unworthy of any kind of praise?

So I started researching abuse and was led to some websites where girls, mostly high school age, go to vent about the abuse they suffer at the hands of their boyfriends. I started taking notes from the questions and answers from those forums. I am amazed at how many of these girls will excuse a guy simply because he apologizes or because he did something to "make up" for it.

I decide I better get some sleep so I can get up in time to greet the movers in the morning. I shut off my laptop and set it next to me on the floor. I drift off pretty easily.

I am startled awake a short time later to the sound of the door slamming next door and then pounding on my door a moment later. I climb out of bed and drag myself to the door. When I open it I find Heidi standing there looking exhausted.

"Heidi, is everything okay?" I ask.

"Um, I got called in to work, can Natalie stay with you the rest of the night?" she asks warily.

"Yes, of course. Send her over," I reply. I want to tell her not to take the stupid call because her daughter should be more important but since I don't know anything about the situation I just let it go. She says thank you and runs back to her apartment.

A few minutes later I hear her yelling at Natalie to hurry up and get the hell out. When Natalie shows up at my door, she is crying and looks very confused. She is clutching a dingy yellow blanket and a soft but equally dingy stuffed purple dog. She is wearing a huge t-shirt that and socks riddled with holes.

"Hey, kiddo. Come on in," I say, taking her into the area designated as my bedroom. The air bed is a queen size so I know we will both fit, but I don't know if she's okay with sharing. "Do you want to share with me? I don't have any furniture yet so this is the only bed I have but I can make you a soft pallet on the floor next to me if that will be more comfortable for you."

"I can sleep with you?" she asks, surprised.

"Of course, honey."

"Wow, thank you," she says as she climbs into the bed.

I climb in and give her lots of space but as she falls asleep I feel her little fingers wrap around my hand.

I lay there thinking about this sweet little girl and the situation she lives in when I begin to hear the tell-tale sound of a headboard banging on the wall. I now understand why her mom was in such a hurry to get her out of the apartment. Apparently my offer to help with Natalie opened up a way for her to bring John's home. Safer for her I suppose but much more dangerous for Natalie.

I am woken up two more times that night to the same sound of wall banging. Natalie slept right through it though.

I finally just gave up around five-thirty in the morning and got up. I cleaned what I could and made a pot of coffee. I also decided to get some blankets just for my little guest. I had a feeling that I'd be hosting her a lot.

At eight in the morning my furniture arrived. I now had a large sectional sofa, an entertainment center, two book shelves, a small writing desk, a set of bar stools for the kitchen island, a new bed, dresser and room separator. Natalie helped me set up the bedroom, while the delivery guys set up my living room. Since it was a studio apartment I needed to separate the bedroom as best I could. The room divider was perfect. It left the room open but created a corner that I could use to dress in, and gave the illusion of a private space. The bed was huge, especially since I was the only one sleeping in it. I didn't care, I had the room for a king size bed and since I write a lot in bed, it is perfect for me.

My living room was great, the sectional creating a divided space without walls. The 46" flat screen TV taking up the majority of the wall with the cherry wood entertainment center below it. All I really needed now was some curtains to block out some of the light that came in through the wall of windows facing the street. Fortunately, living in Seattle meant less sunlight that most places but I still needed some curtains. Natalie and I made a quick breakfast and while we were eating I noticed she was itching her head and legs. At first it was just like a nervous habit but as we sat at the bar I noticed she got to where she was practically digging at her legs.

"Natalie, is something wrong? Why are you itching so much?" I asked, beginning to worry that maybe she had an allergy.

"Nothing. I just need to go home. Mom will be home soon and I should be back when she gets there."

"Honey, she asked for you to stay here. Do you want to run home and get changed? Then you can hang out with me for a while longer."

She looked so nervous. "I don't know. She's never left me with someone before. Usually I'm just alone. I don't know what to do now."

"Well what would you usually do, if I weren't around?"

"Um, I usually get up, then eat something, then clean up the apartment, then maybe color or read until mom gets up. Then I fix her something to eat and get her medicine. Then she leaves for work and I sneak into the hallway or out back and play for a while."

Everything she has just said breaks my heart so I decide to ask about what's out back.

"Oh there's a yard. It has a swing and a garden. It's my favorite place in the world. I'll show it to you sometime." Her sweet face brightens as she tells me about her play yard.

"I'd like that. Maybe later today we can go out there."

"Maybe. I'll have to see what Mom is doing. I can't go out there if she's home, she doesn't let me." Just then a knock at the door alerts us that our time is through.

I answer it to find Heidi standing there looking tired, although she has cleaned up. Her hair is clean and her face free of make-up. She is much older that I originally thought. With make-up on she looks about twenty or so but looking at her now she is probably closer to thirty-five.

"Morning, Heidi. Natalie is just getting her stuff together, she'll be right out. Would you like to come in?" I offer.

"Yeah, I guess," she says as she slinks past me into the room. "Thank you for watching her, I ended up working all night."

"Yes, I heard," I say without thinking. Her eyes bug out and she stammers for an explanation.

I don't want to make her feel judged so I jump in to explain. "I'm sorry, that was rude. Look I know what you do and I don't need an explanation. I just need to know that Natalie is safe."

"Oh God, I can't believe I didn't think of that. I'm sorry you had to hear that. I never ever bring them home. It's not safe for her if I do but I can't leave her often enough to make enough money to pay the bills. It's just so much easier to take calls if I can do it here. Can you help me?"

"I know it's none of my business but why not just get a job."

"Right. Where? I am twenty eight, with no skills, no education, no family except my kid. No dad for her. No vehicle. Fast food doesn't pay enough to live on with a kid."

"What about state aid? Do you get any help at all?"

"Yeah, I get a little help, food and medical stuff but no money. They think I make the money to pay the rent by working for the landlord. He's pretty nice about signing some papers to show that I work. If I don't have those they will take Natalie away from me. I know I'm not the best mom but she's all I have."

Part of me feels sorry for her but I still want to ring her neck. "Well you can't leave her alone so much, it is bad for her. I know you don't know me from Adam but please promise me you won't bring them home when she's there."

"I won't, I promise. I know she knows what I do, as much as she can, but I don't want her to ever have to see it first-hand."

"Ok, then she is more than welcome to stay here at night if that helps you out. She's a great kid and I like having her around."

I feel like I could help her more but don't think she'd accept if I offered.

"Thanks, it would help so much. I made enough last night to pay the rent and part of the electric bill. I can pay you a little to watch her for me if that's okay." Her eyes plead with me to say yes. I guess her pride has taken a serious hit today.

"If that's what you want to do," I say, knowing I will give any money she gives me right back to Natalie.

Natalie comes out of my bedroom with her blanket and puppy, wearing a huge smile on her face. I know she just heard that whole exchange.

"Come on Nat, we've got to clean up the apartment before I have to work later. You can come back tonight, okay," Heidi says, ushering Natalie out of my apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next week goes by much like the first night. Natalie spends the day with her mom and the night with me. I think she is only with her mom for about five hours a day but at least she is getting time with her. I hear occasional yelling from next door but not too often and I haven't seen a mark on her since the first hand print. Heidi is exhausted but I've noticed lots of new things for her and for Natalie, clothes and shoes mostly. I know she is seeing at least three clients a night and from what I've gathered she earns around three hundred a night that way. I know the rent and utilities are paid so I keep hoping she will slow down a bit. As far as I can tell she works for herself so nothing is going to some pimp.

Natalie seems happier than she was that first day. She actually smiles when she talks about her mom now. She was so excited when Heidi took her shopping for her birthday and agreed to come over for cake after I took Natalie out to dinner. Natalie's eyes got as big as saucers when I showed her the cake I made for her. It was a large round cake decorated to look like her new doll, something called a Lalaloopsy. She got tears in her eyes when she read the card I got her and saw the money inside of it. I gave her fifty dollars and also gave her the sixty dollars her mom had given me to watch her. She was so surprised by the whole thing.

"I've never had a real birthday cake before. Mom usually just picks up some cupcakes from the store and we eat them together. She cries a lot on my birthday."

"Oh honey, she's probably just sad that you are getting so big so fast," I say hoping to reassure her.

"Yeah, maybe. She says it just reminds her of how things have changed, whatever that means." She said it like it was no big deal but she's too smart for that. I know she knows exactly what that means.

"Well, we will have birthday cake and we can watch whatever movies you want. Right now we need to get going, I'm starving," I say, changing the subject.

We head to a little burger place down the block where we both order huge burgers, fries and onion rings. I get her a chocolate milkshake that she sucks down faster than she should. We laugh when the brain freeze wares off and she has a mouthful of French fries. After dinner we walk back to the apartment. Heidi is waiting for us outside the door when we walk up.

"Did you have a nice dinner, baby?" she asks as she kisses Natalie's head.

"Oh my goodness, mom they have the best milkshakes. I can't believe I've never had one, they are so good!" she rattles on. Heidi's eyes show sadness but she covers quickly.

"That's great! Did you tell Bella, thank you?" she says as she looks over Natalie's head and mouths her own appreciation to me.

I just smile and remind them that cake is waiting. We head upstairs and sing happy birthday to Natalie while she smiles from ear to ear. That night watching her smile with icing on her chin, I knew I loved her and would do anything for her.

Things are pretty much the same for the next few weeks. Natalie and I have a special relationship. I love her like a daughter. I keep watching to make sure she is okay and that Heidi is doing the best she can for her. Right now it seems like the gifts have slowed down and so have the Johns in the middle of the night. Natalie is sleeping at home a few nights a week. School is supposed to start in a month and I really hope there is some sort of steady routine for her but I have a feeling that without my guidance there won't be.

I have started meeting with my publishers about the promotion of my book. I may have to do a tour, which makes me really nervous. I can't help but worry that Heidi will bring home the johns because she can't go too long without "working" now that she's making good money. I worry that my being gone will allow Heidi to go back to the abusive behavior I only briefly witnessed before.

I asked my publisher to help me out by keeping me local enough to come home each night. He laughed but when he saw how serious I was he said he'd try. The party for the launch of the book was next week and I made arrangements with Heidi to stay home with Natalie instead of working that night. She promised that she wouldn't leave her alone and that no one would be in the apartment.

I got myself a beautiful little black dress and made appointments to get my nails and hair done. My dad was driving up for the night. I offered to let him stay with me but he decided to get a hotel room instead. I didn't have a date but that was okay with me. After everything, I felt like it was better not to have one for this particular event.

The night of the event we met at the hotel bar and had a nice dinner. I gave my dad a special edition of my book, his copy has a special letter to him from me. He made me cry by reading it while we finished our dinner.

"Oh Bells, this is amazing. You know I've always believed in you. I knew you'd make it and I never expected anything from you in return. You are a blessing and I know I don't say it enough but I love you kid." He wiped the tears from his eyes and cleared his throat. "So have you met anyone since you've been here? I know you've been busy with your neighbor."

"Actually, Natalie and Heidi are the only people I've met outside of the publishing company. I just haven't taken the time to get out much," I say realizing that I had no life at all outside of my sweet Natalie.

"That's okay, honey, I'm sure you'll meet lots of people tonight and on the tour," he says reminding me we need to get going.

The launch party was fun, overwhelming, but fun none the less. I met lots of people alright. All the executives from the company as well as some sponsor representatives were there and I had to talk to them all. My book seemed to be very well received amongst the group that was there although I doubted most of them actually read it. I did meet the wives of the President and CEO of the publishing company and they loved my book. Both of them gushed about different parts of the story and how it affected them. I was so happy to hear from an actual reader that I spent a long time just listening to them talk.

Around ten o'clock I started getting antsy. I knew it was about the time that Natalie would be going to bed and I was hoping that she was okay at home. I wanted to call her but I settled for a text. I bought her minutes for her phone so she didn't have to wait for her mom to do it.

**Hey kid, how's it going? – Bella**

I didn't get a reply right away. Around eleven my phone finally beeped.

**Ok I guess. Moms in bed – Nat**

**Why aren't you? – Bella**

**Cant – Nat**

**Try – Bella**

**Ok c u tomorrow – Nat**

**Night – Bella**

Sometime after midnight we headed home and I left my dad in the lobby of his hotel. I was exhausted and my feet were killing me. Once I got home, I made a beeline for the shower and then collapsed into bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I am startled awake by a blood curdling scream. I hear it again and am jolted into action when I figure out where it is coming from.

"Heidi? Natalie! I'm coming, hold on honey!" I yell although I am sure she can't hear me. I don't think the scream is hers but I know it's coming from her apartment and that it is definitely female. I grab my cell phone and dial 911 as I run out of the apartment.

"911, what's your emergency?" the bored voice on the line asks.

"There's something bad happening in the apartment next door to me. I can hear a woman screaming like someone is killing her," I say, trying to hold onto some form of calmness even though I am terrified for Natalie and her mother. I am now outside her apartment with my ear to the door. I want to beat it down but I am afraid of what I may find behind the door.

"Okay Ma'am we have your location and help is on the way. Please stay on the line till they arrive," the operator says calmly.

The screaming is getting louder and now I hear another voice. This one is much deeper and sounds dangerously calm. "Look bitch, I paid you for two hours, I still have forty minutes. You owe me the rest. You said I could do what I wanted for what I paid you." Then I hear another scream and some glass shatter. The sound of crying makes me feel useless. I know the crying is Natalie and she sounds so close. The screaming is cut off suddenly, too suddenly.

"The screaming has stopped but something is really wrong. There's a little girl in there, please hurry!" I beg.

"They are just around the corner now, Ma'am. Any second now they will be running up the stairs."

Just as I feel like hope is just a second away, I hear the most terrifying thing thus far. "Come here you little bitch, Mommy's not holding up her end of the bargain so I guess you'll have to do." Then the sound of furniture scraping on the floor and Natalie's crying stops, making my heart leap into my throat.

I start pounding on the door, praying that it will distract the man long enough to save Natalie. The door is yanked open and a dark headed man stands naked in front of me. He is breathing hard and his face is red. "What the fuck do you want?" he barks.

"I heard screaming and came to see if my neighbors were okay." I want to sound strong and in control but I know I sound scared. I try to peek around him to find Natalie but he's blocking my view.

"We are all just fine here. Just a little family disagreement," he says knowing I don't believe him.

"Really, family? I haven't seen you around here before and I've lived here for a month," I challenge. This man is only a few inches taller than me and not all that big so I feel confident that I can hold my own if need be.

He starts to answer but is cut off by the sound of the door bursting open downstairs and people running up the steps. The police are here. I won't turn around for fear he will hurt me so I don't know exactly how many people are behind me but the man quickly backs up and slams the door closed. I grab the handle before he can lock it and slam my shoulder into the door. The door flies open and bangs against the wall. He's running to the back of the apartment! The police run past me. There are only two of them. I see a small streak of blonde hair peeking out from behind the couch and hold my breath. She's lying down from what I can tell.

My attention is broken by the sound of a struggle and the call for a bus. Having grown up with a cop for a dad I know that means an ambulance. I run over to Natalie and push the couch out of my way. She's out cold. I'm not sure what he did to her so I'm afraid to move her. I scream for help. I'm on my knees trying to keep from picking her up and hauling her out of here when a pair of green eyes locks with mine.

"Ma'am, please don't move her. The paramedics are on their way. What's your name?" he asks.

I don't look away from his face for fear that I will inadvertently hurt Natalie. "Bella," I mumble.

"Okay, Bella, can you help me here? What is her name?" he asks nodding towards the lifeless little girl between us.

I look down at my sweet little friend. "Natalie. She's only 9. Help her!" I plead.

"I'm going to do everything I can for her, sweetheart."

I look back up at him and he gives me a reassuring smile. I want to return it but I am just too scared.

He bends down putting his cheek by her nose and feels her throat for a pulse. "Ok she is breathing and has a nice strong pulse. She's just knocked out. Don't move her but she can hear you if you want to talk to her." He smiles again. "Is that her mom in the other room?"

"Yes. Is she okay?" I ask, knowing the screaming I heard indicate she is not.

"She's injured pretty badly. Can you tell me her name?" he asks while pulling out a tablet.

"Yeah, her name is Heidi Larks. She's a hooker. She wasn't supposed to bring anyone here. Natalie was supposed to be safe. She promised me," I say through the tears spilling down my cheek.

"Larks, yeah we know her. I didn't believe her when she said she had a kid. They all say that when we pick them up."

"Well she does. She used to leave her alone a lot but now that I live next door I watch her most of the time. Where is the ambulance? She needs help."

"They'll be here soon. We'll get them to the hospital, don't worry. He reaches out and puts a hand on top of mine. I feel a little jolt but attribute it to the warm contact in this frightening situation.

"Thanks Officer," I say leaving room for him to fill in his name.

"Cullen."

"Thank you Officer Cullen."

I look down to my sweet girl and whisper to her, "Please wake up baby. I need to see those blue eyes. I need you to be okay."

When Officer Cullen moves his hand I realize he is getting up. "I have to check on the other victim and we are questioning the assailant. Do you recognize him? Is he maybe a regular?"

I shake my head. "No but I don't see her clients. He was yelling at her, something about letting him do what he wants after what he paid her. He said he was going to make do with Natalie, that's why I pounded on the door. He was naked when he opened it. I think he threw her across the room."

"Ok, thank you Bella. That will help a lot. Hopefully Miss Larks will cooperate with us and we can lock this asshole up."

"Hopefully they both wake up," I add.

"Hopefully," he replies with sad eyes.

When he leaves us alone, I only have enough time to brush Natalie's hair off her face before the EMT's are in the door. The first two come to us and the next two head to the bedroom. They ask a lot of questions and place her on a spine board.

"Are you her guardian?" one EMT asks me.

"Not officially. I watch her most of the time. Her mother is unconscious as well and they have no other family. Will she be okay?"

"Yeah, it looks like she is unconscious and likely has a concussion but we'll know more at the hospital. I will tell them you are next of kin so they will tell you what's going on."

"Thank you. Thank you so much," I cry.

I hop up and head home to get dressed so I can follow the ambulance. I call my dad and tell him everything. He says he'll meet me at the E.R. I run out the door and head to the hospital behind the two ambulances.

As I sit in the waiting room I do the only thing can I think of, I pray that God will save Natalie and if he's feeling merciful, Heidi too. I pray that if they both make it, Heidi changes her life. I pray that if something happens to Natalie that Heidi still changes her life. I pray that if something happens to Heidi that Natalie will be allowed to be mine. I vow that I will never let anything happen to her ever again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

My dad rubs my back and whispers encouraging things to me. "She probably just has a nasty concussion. She'll be fine."

Officer Cullen came in to the waiting room a short time after we did. My father began asking him questions from one officer to another. Officer Cullen wasted no time filling us in on what happened to the man from the apartment.

"We booked Mr. Stevens on assault and battery charges. He will also get a solicitation charge. If we can confirm it he will be charged with rape and attempted rape of a child," he says in what I think is supposed to be a reassuring tone but all it does it remind me of what could have happened to Natalie if I hadn't been there.

"Rape! Oh God. What if I hadn't distracted him or what if I hadn't moved here. She could be dead right now." I am now getting angry. "This is exactly why I told her not to bring those guys back to her apartment. How could she do this?"

Just then a doctor comes out and is calling my name.

"I'm Bella Swan. Is Natalie okay?"

"Miss Swan, Natalie is perfectly fine. She has a mild concussion and some bruised ribs. She's scared but awake and is asking for you," he says much to my relief.

"Oh thank God! She wasn't touched was she?" I have to know.

"No she wasn't sexually assaulted but she is very scared of what she saw. We are going to have a therapist speak to her in a bit. Miss Swan, I do have some bad news. Miss Larks is not well. She has several broken ribs, multiple severe lacerations and multiple broken bones in her back and neck. She has swelling on her brain and it is very likely that she may not wake up for some time if at all. We are moving her to ICU to see if the swelling will stop or if surgery will be necessary. It appears that the assailant used a knife to slice through her back and beat her into unconsciousness. She will likely have a long recovery process if she wakes up."

"Has Natalie been told any of this?" I ask, praying that she hasn't.

"No ma'am. She isn't ready to hear this. It appears she may have witnessed at least some of the abuse her mother endured."

"Oh God. Can I see her now?"

"Yes, of course," he says.

Officer Cullen follows me back to the room she is in, saying he needs her statement.

Just outside her door I stop and turn to him. "You can wait to get her statement. You heard what that doctor said. She is terrified and right now the most important thing is getting her to feel safe. You will wait until she is ready to speak to you. Got it?"

He nods and smiles. "You really care about her." As if this is some amazing discovery.

"Yes, I do. I love that little girl and she needs me right now," I say trying to calm my tears before I go in.

As I reach for the door, Officer Cullen places his hand on mine. "I promise I won't ask her anything tonight that may upset her. I'm glad you are here for her. Too often we see kids who end up completely alone after something like what happened tonight. She's a lucky little girl to have you."

I wipe the tears from my eyes and nod to him. "Thank you. She stole my heart the first time she spoke to me."

I open the door and gasp at the site before my eyes. She looks so scared. She's so tiny sitting on the big gurney. Her ocean eyes are wide and searching for something.

"Natalie, honey," I say because I don't know what else to say.

"Bella!" she says, sounding so small. "I want to go home. I don't want to be here." I can't help but rush to her and pull her small body into a gentle hug. I sit on the bed next to her and hold her.

"Honey, I know but you have to stay the night so they can keep an eye on you. You have a concussion and I'm sure your ribs hurt," I say though I'm not sure she really has to spend the night. I look to Officer Cullen hoping he knows.

"Why? I'm fine. I just want to go home with you, Bella. Please?" she cries.

"Ok honey, I'll see what I can do. I'll ask the doctor," I say as I turn towards the door. "Officer, can you keep her company for a moment?"

"Actually, how about I go ask the doctor and you two wait here," he offers. I just smile and mouth 'thank you' to him. He flashes me a beautiful smile and leaves.

"Who's he?" Natalie asks, almost sounding like her normal self.

"That's the officer that came to help you. Do you remember anything from earlier?"

She nods and looks down at her hands.

"Can you please tell me?"

She sniffles and nods again. "He was cutting her. They were both naked and she was crying. She was on her knees in front of him and he was behind her. She was begging him to stop. I tried to call for help but I didn't want him to find me. I don't think he knew I was there. Is my mom okay? She was bleeding so much."

"She's here, on a special floor. She's sleeping right now," I said, not knowing how to tell her just how bad her mom was hurt. "How did he find you?"

"He backed away from her and dragged her off the bed by her hair. She was screaming and then he yelled at her and threw her across the room. She stopped screaming. I thought she was dead. I screamed for her. He saw me and chased me. He had blood all over him."

I didn't remember there being blood on him but I was so worried about Natalie, I must not have noticed. "I'm so sorry, baby. He can't hurt you or her anymore, the police took him away." I needed to know for myself if she had been touched so I swallowed the lump in my throat and just asked, "Sweetie, did he touch you?"

She shook her head. "He told me I had to do what she wouldn't do. He didn't have clothes on. It really scared me so I tried to run from him but he grabbed my hair. It hurt so much. He started to drag me but I kept fighting and screaming. He threw me across the room. I guess I hit my head on the table or something. He kicked me in the side and I slid under the couch. I couldn't breathe. I heard your voice but then I don't remember what happened after that."

We were both crying when Officer Cullen came back in the room with a woman I assumed was a therapist or social worker. I refuse to let go of Natalie so I don't rise to greet her.

"Natalie, this is Dr. Walsh and she wants to know if you will talk to her for a bit," Officer Cullen says in a soft voice.

"Can Bella stay with me?" she asks with a shaking voice.

"I'm afraid not. I promise she'll be right outside the door and if you want to stop any time, I will," Dr. Walsh says kindly.

"Oh," she replies sadly.

"Honey, I'll be right on the other side of that door and you can call for me anytime you need me," I say hoping she knows I won't leave her.

"Natalie, I need to talk to you about what you saw tonight and see how you are doing. Then we can talk about your mom a little and then we can talk about anything you want," Dr. Walsh explains for both our benefit.

"Okay. Can we talk about my mom first?" she says as I kiss her head and start to stand.

I move to the door and follow Officer Cullen into the hall. We stand side by side against the wall.

"What did the doctor say when you asked about her request to leave?" I ask while staring holes into the door across from us.

"He said she needed to speak to the therapist and then he'd make a decision. Bella, she can't go back to that place tonight. I know your apartment is next door but that building is going to have people in and out all night and then a cleaning crew will have to come in."

"She said he was covered in blood, I didn't see it on him," I state unsure of how I missed it.

"Yeah, he had a lot of Miss Lark's blood on his abdomen and thighs. His hands were a mess too. Did she tell you anything?" he asks.

I fill him in on what she told me and feel sick to my stomach. "She saw him cutting her mother while he fucked her. She saw him beat her. She heard her mother crying and begging him to stop. She was afraid to call for help because she didn't want him to find her. She is just a baby and her threatened to finish off what her mother couldn't with her. What the fuck kind of person is this guy?" I sob.

Officer Cullen pulls me into a hug and lets me cry on his shoulder. I cry for what feels like forever but was probably only a few minutes. He keeps patting my back and petting my hair. His arms are strong around my shoulders and I feel so safe. I notice he never loosens his hold on me even as my tears slow and I begin to pull away.

"I'm okay. Thank you for….thank you," I say clumsily. "I'm sorry I lost it. What happens if they let her leave, can she go with me, Officer,"

"Edward, please call me Edward," he says cutting me off. "The EMT's listed you as her next of kin so that they would let you know what's going on, so she should be able to leave with you but you'll have to talk to social services about anything more permanent. Do you have somewhere you can take her for a few days?"

"Not really but I can book a hotel room or something. Can you help me with contact information for social services? If Heidi is this bad then she won't be able to care for her for a while. I can't let her go to a home," I say thinking out loud.

"Yeah, I can get you the info. You know she's a lucky girl to have you."

"No, I'm lucky to have her. She's strong and smart and wise beyond her years. She took care of herself without any help from me for a long time, I feel like this happened because I came along and messed up the system they had."

"No, how can you think that? Heidi Larks has been arrested on more than one occasion for prostitution and _we_ didn't look into her claims that she had a child. The Seattle PD let her down by not checking on her," he says clearly thinking he should have done something.

"Yeah the police department should have checked. I won't fight you on that one."

He looks up at me and smiles. "See, not your fault!"

We sit in companionable silence for a while waiting on the door to open. I can't stop thinking about how hard this has to be for Natalie. I decide to proceed as if Heidi were not an option. I can't let her go back to her mother even if she does wake up. I know then that I will be filing whatever paperwork it takes to make Natalie my child. I can't imagine it being difficult to get a judge to grant me custody and then adopting her. I feel like I've made the right decision and smile.

"You should do that more often, it's beautiful," Edward whispers close to my ear. I gasp and look at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he says quickly, looking away.

"You didn't, just caught me off guard is all. Thank you," I say, feeling the blush creep up my neck to my cheeks.

"You are welcome. Look, I know this is the wrong time to ask so I'll wait but I just want you to know that once you get settled with her, I am going to ask you out on a date."

"Oh…" I say stupidly.

"Yes, I am. I feel like an ass because of the situation but if I had met you in, say, a coffee shop, I'd have asked you out instantly."

"Really? Well if it helps, if we'd have met in a coffee shop and you asked me out, I would have said yes," I say smiling.

"Good to know."

We wait a bit longer when the door finally opens and Dr. Walsh comes out.

"Miss Swan, may I speak with you?"

"Yes. Is she okay?" I ask.

"She's tough. She is sleeping. Follow me," she says walking into an empty room across the hall.

"Miss Swan, I know you aren't the next of kin but I understand why you were listed as such. I also know that Natalie loves you very much. She will have to stay tonight for observation but they will release her tomorrow. Can you handle taking care of her?"

"Yes, of course I can."

"Good because she will need some extra love and attention. I will recommend you to the social worker. First things first, she is very confused by the relationship she has with her mother. She believes her mother loves her but doesn't understand just how dysfunctional their relationship actually is. She doesn't know that it is wrong for her mother to leave her alone while she works. She does know more about her mother's line of work than I can believe, although I am glad she doesn't know the details of that. Unfortunately she did get a terrible introduction to it tonight. She is small for her age which speaks to the neglect she has suffered for years. I understand that since you moved in she has been eating more regularly and healthily. There doesn't seem to be any gaps in her schooling or medical care. I will be requesting her medical and school records to be certain," she says in a soft tone that belays the rapid fire of her observations.

"Did you tell her about Heidi's condition?" I ask.

"Yes, she was very upset but she knew her mom was in bad shape. She knows that her mom won't be coming home anytime soon and that there is a good chance she may not ever wake up. We talked about other family. She says she has none and that's why she was alone all the time. All in all, her mom tried to care for her the best she could but she did neglect her in the process. She also physically and verbally abused her. Natalie told me about a number of instances of abuse. I will look for anything I can to substantiate that in her records. She is very concerned that she won't see you anymore, more so than she is worried about her mother. I can see the love you have for her. Please understand that if it turns out that Heidi has some family, we have to notify them and they will be asked to take her in. I will request a meeting with them first but the court will try to keep her with family if at all possible."

I feel as though I have been sucker punched. Neither Heidi nor Natalie have ever mentioned any family so I never thought that would be a problem. I just figured they were all alone but now I realize how naive that was. While I am pondering the possibility that I will have to fight for her, Dr. Walsh speaks again.

"I want you to know that she has never been sexually abused. Never. In the business her mother is in, it is quite common for a prostitute's child to be abused but Natalie hasn't been. According to her this was the first time Heidi brought a customer home. She said she's been spending the night with you for the last month, so I assume that's when her mom started bringing them home. Were you aware of this?"

"Yes, I offered to keep her overnight so she wouldn't be alone. The first night she stayed over, Heidi had probably three separate clients over. She told me it was the only way she could make enough money to pay the bills, so I made her promise to never have them there while Natalie was home. They were doing really well. The rent was all paid up and Heidi was spending more time with Natalie. I was sure it wouldn't last because she was 'working' less but Natalie was enjoying her time with her mom so much."

"Bella, what happened tonight? Why was Natalie at home and not with you?" Edward asked.

"She's been spending a few nights a week at home because the bills are paid and Heidi hasn't had to take clients every night. Anyway, I had a party to go to. I thought she would be safe. I texted her around ten tonight and she answered around eleven. I got home around one a.m., took a shower and went to bed. I woke up to screaming. You know the rest," I say fighting off the guilt I feel for leaving her alone.

"Miss Swan, I'll be looking over Natalie's medical records as soon as I can get them. I will let you know what I find. I will need a number to get in touch with you. The social worker should be here in the morning so I will make sure she has my report. I'll be in my office on the seventh floor if you have any questions," Dr. Walsh says, packing her things and moving towards the door.

"Thank you." Edward gives me a piece of paper so I can write my contact information down. I hand her the slip and smile, "It's been a terribly long night and I want to try to sleep while she is."

We all walk into the hallway again and Dr. Walsh leaves us standing by Natalie's door. Edward takes my hand and slips a piece of paper into it. "This is my number. Please call me. I have to go take care of the paper work on this case."

I look into his eyes, seeing the hope in them that I so badly want to believe in. "I will. Once I get settled in somewhere, I will call. I'm glad you were there tonight. Thank you."

"I was just doing my job."

"Maybe at the apartment but here, you've done much more than your job," I say knowing that I couldn't have handled what I heard without him. "Can you possibly send my dad back here when you go out there?"

"Of course. Well, I better go. Talk to you soon," he says with a slight wave of his hand. He drops my hand and backs away.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Charlie and I took turns sleeping while Natalie slept. The doctor moved her to a regular room for the night and told us he'd check on her in the morning but that she should be able to go home in the afternoon. He also told us that Heidi's condition was deteriorating. He didn't feel hopeful at all for a recovery in her situation. It was likely that she could wake up but still not be able to function normally again. My heart broke for Natalie.

The social worker came to see Natalie. She agreed with Dr. Walsh so I will get to take Natalie home with me. I was delighted with that news but still needed to find us a place to stay for a day or two. I wasn't sure how Natalie felt about going back to the building but I intended to give her a few days before she had to deal with it. I had to fill out a bunch of papers and the social worker would have to run some background checks but for now I was Natalie's temporary guardian.

"Hey sweetie, I need to go back home and pick up some clothes for us. My dad, Charlie, will stay with you. Then when I get back we will be ready to leave together," I say. I had told her we were going to a hotel and that once she got to feeling better we'd talk about going home.

"Okay. Will you get my doll and my new purple dress?" she says, sounding like nothing had even happened. Then her face fell, "Bella, can I see my mom before we go?"

"Oh, honey. I don't know but I will ask. They have her in a special room."

"I know. I just don't want to leave her here without even saying good bye."

My heart was crushed. She was too smart and intuitive for a normal nine year old.

"Ok sweetie, I'll see what I can do. I'll be back as soon as I can." I kissed her head and patted Charlie on the shoulder.

When I got out of the room I could feel the tears pour over my cheeks. I went to the nurse's station and asked to speak to someone in I.C.U. They called up to the floor and I spoke to one of the nurses. She asked me to come up so they could prepare me for what Natalie would see.

When I got to the I.C.U., I was ushered back to a tiny consulting room. The doctor handling Heidi's care came in to talk to me. "Hello Miss Swan, I am Dr. Cullen, I understand that Ms. Larks' daughter would like to see her," he says.

"Yes, she wants to say good bye to her before we leave the hospital. I think she is afraid she won't get to see her again."

"Well, unfortunately that is quite likely. Ms. Larks is not doing well at all. The swelling on her brain is quite severe. She also has a rather significant fracture in her cervical spine. The next forty-eight hours are critical. We are going to put in a shunt to help alleviate some of the swelling. There is a good chance she will not recover from these injuries. If she does wake up, she will have significant brain damage and will likely be paralyzed."

"What happens if she doesn't wake up? I'm not family and Natalie is only nine. Will she just stay on the ventilator?"

"Yes ma'am. If she is still unable to be weaned from the vent in ninety days the state will require that she be moved to a long term care facility. Unfortunately without a living will she could be left on the vent until her family can make the decision to remove her."

"So if we can't find any family, she could be on life support for at least the next nine years? That's terrible."

"Yes, it is but that's how Medicaid works. There is also the possibility that if her situation is such that she will never regain consciousness or breathe on her own, her physician could make the decision to remove life support but that is a very difficult thing to accomplish with the state."

"Okay. I'll bring Natalie up here in a few hours. Will you be available if she has questions?"

"Yes, I'll be here. The nurses can answer her questions quite well but I'll be around if she wants to talk to me," he says with a smile. When he smiles I realize that I know that smile.

"Dr. Cullen? Do you have a son on the Seattle PD?"

"Yes, I do. Do you know Edward?"

"He was first on the scene last night. He stayed with me until the therapist left," I say remembering how sweet he was.

"He's a great police officer. I'm glad he was able to be of some comfort to you."

I blush at his words. "He was. Anyway, I must be going. I'll be back in a few hours. Thank you for your help."

I rush home and try very hard not to look into Natalie's apartment on the way to mine. There are still people from the crime scene unit in the apartment. Once inside my own, I hurry to pack a week's worth of clothes and toiletries. I pack a big bag of snacks and movies.

I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly bracing myself to enter Heidi and Natalie's apartment.

I clear my throat in the door way trying to gain the attention of one of the CSU's.

"Oh, ma'am you can't come in here, this is a crime scene," says a tall thin man with blonde hair.

"Um, I know. I'm the guardian of the child who was injured here and I need to pack some of her clothes for the next few days."

"Oh, you must be the neighbor, Miss Swan. I'm CSU Whitlock. If you give me just a second I can escort you to her room."

"Ok, thank you," I say taking in all that was left behind in the apartment. There are blood drops on the floor and little yellow number stands next to them.

"Ok, Miss Swan, are you ready?"

"Yes. When will this be cleaned up? I don't want to bring Natalie back to my apartment until this," I gesture to the floor, "is gone."

"Oh well we should be done with it today and then the clean-up can begin after twenty-four hours."

"Good, that's good." As we walk past Heidi's bedroom I nearly become ill. Her bed is covered in blood and there are streaks of it on the floor and a dried puddle where she must have lain while he went after Natalie. "Oh my God!" I cry. I can't stop the tears and I keep repeating the words over and over.

"Ma'am? Miss Swan, are you okay?" Whitlock asks and if I weren't hysterical I would laugh at him. Of course I'm not alright.

"He is a sick, sick man. How can someone do this to another person?"

"I really don't know but I do know that you saved that little girl from the same fate, from what I can tell. I think you already know why he did it, he's sick. There really isn't another explanation."

"Yeah, I know. It's just, seeing it, like this," I say but stop because I can't even finish the sentence.

"Hey, let's get that little girl some clothes so you can get back to her. We'll get this all cleaned up and you won't have to see it anymore," he says trying to reassure me but I know that I will never be able to forget what I have seen and it kills me because Natalie saw it while it was happening and her mother was lying in that puddle.

"Okay, thank you."

We head into Natalie's room and I pack her requested items as well as some of her newest clothes and a bag full of toys and art supplies. Maybe I can get her to keep busy with drawing or something.

Once I have more than I can easily carry I head back to the hallway where Mr. Whitlock is waiting to walk me out. As we enter the living room my breath catches because Edward is standing there in jeans and a short sleeve gray "v" neck t-shirt.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" Mr. Whitlock asks before I can.

"I heard that Bella was here and decided to try and catch her," he says, ducking his head and running his hand over his shorn hair. The action makes me smile.

"Oh, well you caught me, now what?" I ask, forgetting all about where I am and who is here.

"Can I help with your bags?" he asks, gesturing to the load in my arms.

"Yes, I may have gotten a little carried away."

I hand over half of the load and hear Mr. Whitlock clear his throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry Jasper, this is Bella. We met last night and I am trying to find an appropriate time to ask her out," Edward says with a laugh.

"We've met. Well it looks like you may already have your answer if her smile is any indication."

"Yeah, she pretty much already said yes but now's not a good time to be going out. Anyway, Bella, this is my best friend and brother-in-law Jasper Whitlock." Edward says in introduction.

"Nice to meet you, again. May I call you Jasper?"

"Yes, of course. It is lovely to meet you, I wish it could have been under better circumstances."

"I do to. Now I really must be getting back to the hospital and Natalie. She wants to visit her mother before we leave. I think I have put it off long enough," I say.

Edward and Jasper say their good-bye and he walks me out to the car. After all the bags have been placed in the trunk of my car I linger on the curb, not wanting to say good-bye.

"So where are you going tonight? If you don't mind me asking," he asks.

"We are staying at the Extended Stay since I wasn't sure how long we'd be in a hotel."

"Yeah that's probably for the best then. Well I'll let you get back to her. Will you call me tonight?"

"I had planned on it. Do you work tonight? It may be late before I get a chance. I don't know how well she'll sleep."

"No I'm off tonight so call whenever you get a chance. I'll be up," he says smiling.

"Ok. I will."

I walk around my car and get in the driver's seat. When I begin to pull away I see him standing there, still smiling at me and it makes me smile too.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Natalie was so happy to be getting discharged from the hospital. We spent a half an hour in her mother's ICU room. It was heartbreaking but she handled it quite well. My father has become very protective of her. She calls him Charles and he lets her. Hell, he even smiles when she says it. I get a kick out of them.

Heidi is not doing well at all. The shunt they placed in her skull has only marginally reduced the swelling. There is no telling when she could wake up but the longer she stays in the coma the less likely it is she will recover. Dr. Cullen helped answer all of Natalie's questions. She was surprisingly grown up when it came to what she wanted to know. She could tell it was serious and she asked questions about what happens if Heidi doesn't wake up. Dr. Cullen told her exactly what he told me. She said that her mom didn't want to live on machines but they never had any kind of papers to make that official.

She kissed her mom on the cheek and told her she'd come back to see her in a few days. We left my contact information with the nurses so they could contact us should anything happen.

When we arrived at the hotel we ordered some pizza and got settled. Natalie wanted to take a bath so I gave her some privacy to do that. She was still sore and a little uncomfortable because of her ribs so I had to help her with her hair and getting out of the tub. We watched Beauty and the Beast while we ate. Around the time that the prince was falling in love, Natalie was falling asleep.

I got a call from Dr. Walsh while I was moving Natalie to the bed. When I picked up the phone she was very apologetic.

"I'm so sorry to call so late. I have been reading Natalie's records all day. I found out that she is completely up to date on all her immunizations and while she was raised with a heavy hand she wasn't beaten. There are no broken bones or noticeable bruises. The doctor who cared for her is local and surprisingly not a free clinic. She actually was taken to annual appointments and had care for illnesses," she rambled.

"That's great. I guess Heidi really did love her daughter. Did you find any mention of family?"

"Um, yeah that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I had Heidi's records pulled as well. She is a product of the system. She is from Denver, Colorado. She was raised by her grandmother until she was twelve. Then her grandmother passed away and she was placed in foster care. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how that can end badly. She was moved from home to home until she left the system at eighteen."

"What happened then?"

"Well she kind of falls off the grid for a while but turns back up at age nineteen with Natalie's birth record. She held a few jobs and got state aid for about four years. Then in 2009 she was arrested for prostitution. There are ten arrests in all for solicitation and prostitution. She was never held more than forty-eight hours but there is no record of any change of custody for Natalie during those times. She wasn't taken by the state in any of those instances."

"So she was likely alone for days at only age four. That is terrible. No wonder she is so self-sufficient at nine years old," I say in complete awe of this resilient little girl.

"Yeah, most likely she was. I found out that Heidi's parents are dead. Her mother died when Heidi was only a child and her father died in prison in 2003. There is no one to contend her placement with you. I have no record of Natalie's father. There is no one listed on the birth certificate and there doesn't seem to be anyone who stands out in Heidi's past."

This is great news for me but sad news for Natalie. I can't imagine not ever knowing my child's father or not having known my own father.

"Ok well that's great. Now, who do I speak to about getting her into counseling? She is obviously going to need it after what she witnessed and now knowing about all of this, I think it is probably wise to have her see someone."

"I will send you some names. I would love to take her but I don't have regular office hours anymore. Actually the first person I'd like you to contact is Dr. Rosalie McCarty. She is great with kids."

She gave me Dr. McCarty's information and told me to contact the case worker about a more permanent placement for Natalie. I was hopeful about the future although I felt guilty about planning to take Heidi's parental rights away when she couldn't very well have a say in the matter.

After my talk with Dr. Walsh I took a bath, soaking in the large hotel tub. After the last twenty-four hours I was exhausted and felt stress in all my joints. I thought about how Natalie's life had changed in such a short time. She had to be so confused and scared about her future. I decided that I would talk to her about living with me in the morning. I knew she would want to be with me but wasn't sure she would be too keen on making that permanent while her mother was in a coma. I just knew that I couldn't just sit back and let her go back to her mom after everything that had happened.

I thought about Edward too. It's just my luck that I would meet a great guy when my life was in complete chaos. He seems so sweet and caring. He is unbelievably handsome. His green eyes seem to look right through me. The strength of his arms when he held me was so comforting. I am so glad I met him, even if it was under terrible circumstances.

I drag my relaxed body from the tub and dry off before throwing on a pair of knit shorts and a tank top. I head back to the couch and pick up my cell phone. Before I lose my nerve I dial Edward's number and hit send. He picks up on the second ring.

"Hello."

"Edward, its Bella."

"I know. How's Natalie? Did you get settled in okay?" he says.

"She's asleep. She crashed pretty quickly tonight. We had some pizza and watched a movie," I say, feeling like I was talking to an old friend more than a near stranger.

"I'm sure she did. Poor kid. How did she do seeing her mom?"

"She is amazing. She was upset but she asked a lot of questions and your father was wonderful."

"My father? He's Heidi's doctor? That's good, he's the best," he says with what I can tell is a smile.

"Yeah, he was great. She asked a lot of questions about what happens next. Will Heidi wake up and what happens if she doesn't, stuff like that. He told her straight up, what to expect and what decisions would need to be made. She is too grown up for a nine year old."

"She's not a normal nine year old, Bella. She's had to deal with so much more than any kid I know."

"You don't know the half of it. I talked to Dr. Walsh tonight. Natalie has been mostly on her own since she was four. Four! That's ridiculous! It sounds like Heidi did what she could and she did make sure Natalie had good medical care."

"Yeah, I pulled Heidi's record. She was arrested ten times for prostitution or solicitation. There is no mention of a child in any of the records. She was held three separate times for two days but all the other times she was able to post bail and get out. The person who bailed her out is the owner of the apartment complex. The three times she couldn't post bail, were the first three arrests. If I was a betting man, I'd say she worked out a deal with him."

"Yeah, probably, although he's a pretty nice guy, he may have just helped her because of Natalie. He filled out papers for public aid stating she worked for him to help her get aid. She never indicated that he took advantage of her services to pay her rent. She paid him cash and it seemed she always paid him first before any utilities."

"Anyway, any word on family. I know you were worried about that," he asks changing the subject.

"Yeah, they have none. Heidi was raised by her Grandmother after her mom passed away and her father died in jail. Her Grandmother died and she was put into foster care. She took off as soon as she was eighteen and had Natalie at nineteen. She worked some small jobs for about four years before she was arrested the first time. In a nut shell, there is no one to contest my petition for custody. I am going to talk to Natalie about it tomorrow."

"Do you think she'll be okay with it? I mean its one thing to live with you while her mom gets better but what do you think she'll say to you becoming her mom, permanently."

"I really don't know. I want to explain that the way her mom was living is not safe for her to be a part of and help her understand that she deserves better. I don't want to keep her from her mom, if she gets better, but I can't in my right mind let her go back to living like that. I don't think a judge would allow it either."

"Probably not. I know I wouldn't want her back in that situation again. Even if nothing had happened the other night, she had been neglected for so long," he says with a sigh.

"Yeah but Heidi was trying to get better. I had hoped that since she had been able to save some money and get all her bills caught up that I could convince her to get a job again. From what I can tell she started hooking to make more money faster. She worked regular jobs for the first four years of Natalie's life. I wonder if she was just too far behind to catch up and felt like it was all she could do," I say, voicing my thoughts.

"Probably. There aren't a lot of jobs for people with no education and no support. I don't know how she worked steadily for four years with a kid and no help."

"Me either. Well, I hope that Natalie will be agreeable to living with me and letting me get custody of her." I really need to change the subject; I can feel all the stress creeping back into my muscles. "So how would you feel about a date with both Natalie and I, maybe tomorrow or the next day?"

"That sounds lovely. I don't want to rush you guys though."

"You aren't. I think it would be good for her to get out and do something fun."

"Well, if you're sure. We could go to one of those places where kids jump on those blow up things," he offers.

"She's pretty sore still so maybe we could just take her to one of the museums. I bet she's never been to the zoo, we could take her there."

"That sounds great. Why don't you have your talk with her in the morning and then call me. I'm off tomorrow and don't have to work until eleven on Monday so I can go either day," he says with that same smile in his voice.

"Sounds good. So tell me about you. I've met your dad and your best friend slash brother-in-law, who else is there?"

"Oh well I have a sister, obviously, Alice. She is my Irish twin. We are only eleven months apart. I call her Pixie because she is really small and can't sit still so she seems to flitter around like a little fairy. She's a therapist like our mom. They have a practice near the hospital. Mom, Esme, is a family therapist and Alice is a couple's therapist. Mom is, well, she's great. She always wanted us to be independent but she was also a worrier. We put her through the ringer as kids. I was a wild teenager and Alice started dating Jasper when she was fourteen. He was eighteen. It was not a good time in our house."

"I bet. My father would have had a heart attack if I'd brought home someone four years older than me at that age."

"Yeah, Dad wasn't the problem because he knew Jasper's family and trusted him. Mom had a fit and forbid Alice from seeing him. Alice is not easily deterred so she just threatened to move out and live with Jasper's family if she couldn't see him. Mom called her bluff and Alice packed her stuff. It wasn't until Jasper came to the house with Alice in tow to ask my mother permission to date her that mom started to give in. Jasper explained that he would walk away from Alice if he had to because he refused to be the cause of such strife. He insisted that he loved Allie with all his heart and that he was being a complete gentleman with her. Alice almost blew it for him when she snorted and said 'a little too gentle, if you ask me' a little too loud. Mom then realized that he was telling the truth and that she was lucky that he'd been the one Alice fell for, any other boy would have taken whatever Allie was willing to give them."

"How about you? How old are you?" I ask, realizing I had no idea.

"I'm twenty-six. I was a typical teenage boy. I played baseball and basketball. I also play guitar. In high school I was pretty popular and kind of a dick. I was in a band and then with the sports, I had girls around all the time. I wasn't very nice to them but they kept coming so I thought I was cool. It wasn't until my dad sat me down and told me what an ass I was that I realized that what I was doing wasn't really cool at all."

"What do you mean you weren't very nice to them?" I ask afraid that he was like Tyler.

"Well, I used them for sex and stuff. I would date a girl and cheat on her because one of her friends would offer me something. I just generally didn't give a shit about them. The other guys on my team were doing it and we all thought we were awesome."

"How did your dad find out what you were doing?"

"The worst way possible. Two of the girls I was dating came into the clinic he was working at the time, asking for a pregnancy test. He had seen one of them at the house because she was supposed to be my girlfriend. She ended up being pregnant but the other one wasn't. They both told him they had slept with me."

"Oh my gosh. So you are a father?"

"No. It turned out to be a false positive. When he did a blood test it came up negative. It was too late though, he was already really disappointed in me. He came home and told me that my girlfriend had come into the clinic for a pregnancy test and that it was positive. The blood test results were still a few days away. I freaked out and tried to deny it. That just pissed him off. He ended up telling me about the other girl and told me what a gigantic asshole I was. He made me get tested for STD's and had multiple talks with me about sex and pregnancy. He made me call my girlfriend and talk to her. We even had to sit in front of her parents and tell them about the pregnancy together."

"Oh wow! That's what I would have done too. So I hope that made you change your ways."

"Yep! There was no freaking way I was ready to be a dad. Hell, I was only sixteen. I was so relieved when that test came back negative. She was all upset like someone took away her puppy but I knew it was for the best. I ended up breaking up with her and didn't date again till my senior year. I've only had three girlfriends since then. I learned to treat a girl right from Jasper and my dad."

"That's good. This would have been a very short relationship if you were still an asshole," I say with a laugh.

"Yeah. So what about you? What were you like as a teen? How old are you, since you asked first."

"I'm twenty-four. I was a good girl. I really didn't get into any kind of trouble. I lived with my dad, you know the Police chief, so I didn't have guys breaking down my door. I have a small group of friends that I met in the third grade and have been friends with ever since. I dated a few guys in high school but nothing serious. I've only been with a few people, one of which was my last boyfriend, Tyler." I told him the whole story about Tyler. We talked for hours that night. It was great. Once we got all the past and relationship stuff out of the way he started asking me about little things, like my favorite music, food and color.

We found out that we have a lot in common. We both love Italian food but could live on a good hamburger. We both listen to classic rock but secretly love the bubblegum pop music from the 90's. The only thing we differ on is color. My favorite is blue but his is yellow. Neither one of us care for the Mariner's even though we are from Seattle. I'm a St. Louis Cardinal's fan and he is a New York Yankee's fan. We both are big Green Bay Packer's fans. It's funny that we neither one like the Seahawks or the Mariner's.

We talked until around three in the morning when I started dozing off. "Hey, why don't you go to bed and I'll talk to you tomorrow?" he asked after I dozed off for the second time.

"I'm fine," I lied.

"Yeah sure you are. You are exhausted and while I can stay up all night talking, I'd rather not be the reason you can't go to the zoo tomorrow."

"Good point. Okay, then I'll call you after I talk to Natalie. This has been fun," I say, yawning.

"Sounds like you've had a ton of fun. Good night, I'll talk to you tomorrow," he says, chuckling.

"Good night."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The sound of whimpering woke me up what seemed like minutes after I fell asleep. When I open my eyes I see Natalie standing in front of me with tears pouring down her face.

"Natalie, honey, what's wrong?" I ask as I sat up and reached for her.

She climbs into my arms and starts sobbing. I figure that everything has finally hit her. I hold her for a long time and just let her cry. Eventually she falls back to sleep, so I carry her back to the bed and climb in with her. She continues to cry in her sleep and make those awful gasping sounds that you just can't help after crying so hard.

We sleep until after ten in the morning. I wake up to her bright blue eyes watching me.

"Can we talk?" she asks.

"Of course, but first I need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back," I say, hopping out of bed as quickly as I can. While in the bathroom I try to gather my wits so I can talk to her about what happened and what I'd like to do now. I try to remind myself that she may not want to live with me and that this is probably overwhelming for her.

I take a few deep breaths and head back to the bed where she is waiting. "Okay, kiddo. Let's talk."

"My mom is gone," she says flatly. I don't know what I expected her to say but that was most certainly not it. I don't even know how to respond to that statement.

"She may not be dead but she's gone. I could feel it when I held her hand and when I kissed her. She's not there anymore."

"Oh honey," is all I can say. There are no words for this.

"I don't want her to live on that machine. She would hate it. She always said that if she had to live like that, it wasn't really living. I can't leave her like that."

"I know honey, but you are just a child, they won't let you make that decision. Not yet."

"I know but no one else can make it. They won't let you," she states very clearly. I feel like I am speaking to someone in their forties instead of a child.

"I know. We will figure something out. Let's see how she does the next few days, okay."

"Yeah, okay. So Dr. Walsh asked me if I wanted to live with you for a while, I want to if that's okay with you," she says, changing the subject.

"Of course I want you to live with me. I wanted to talk to you about that anyway. I can't adopt you because your mom can't exactly sign over custody to me but I can become your guardian until her situation changes."

"I'd like that. Bella, I don't think she is going to wake up," she says.

"I don't either but you never know. She could get a miracle."

"Yeah, I guess. If she does wake up, I don't think I can go back to her. I don't like being alone."

"I don't want you to either. Maybe we can talk to a lawyer and see what options we have. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah. I feel bad but she didn't care enough about me to keep me safe so why should I care about her feelings," she says angrily. I can see that she has spent a bit of time thinking about everything.

"Honey, she cared about you. I don't agree with how she did it but she tried very hard to take care of you. She was just alone and poor so she made a lot of bad decisions where you were concerned."

"I know but you told her not to have those men in our apartment and she did it anyway. He was going to kill her and then he wanted to kill me. I think he was going to hurt me like he was hurting her."

"I know baby, and that's why I was banging on that door. I would have done anything to protect you at that moment."

"Bella, what is rape?" she asks. I feel my breath catch in my throat.

"Where did you hear that word?"

"I heard mom saying it while he was behind her. I also heard one of the doctors at the hospital ask for a rape kit. They said I had to be checked since I was asleep when the para- um ambulance guys got to me."

"I'm so sorry honey that must have been awful. Um, well rape is when a, in this case, man forces a woman to have sex even though they don't want to," I say knowing I am just opening the door for more questions.

"What is sex? Is that what happens when people kiss? Like in the movies," she asks with innocent curiosity.

"Yeah, kind of. Kissing is part of it but it's a lot more than that. I don't think you are really old enough to hear about all of this yet."

"I know that boys have a penis and girls have a vagina. One of the boys at school said that he saw what sex was and it looked gross. He said that the man puts his penis inside the woman's vagina and that is sex."

"Well that's true, I guess you know all about it then," I say trying to keep my face neutral. How in the world did an eight year old boy see sex? "Enough about that for now. How would you like to go to the zoo today?"

"Oh my gosh, that would be awesome! I've never been there." She starts bouncing gently on the bed.

"That's great. I thought that maybe we could go today and if it's okay with you that maybe Officer Cullen could come with us."

"Do you like him? He's really cute!" she giggles.

"Yeah I think I do like him. He is pretty cute isn't he?"

"Yes he is. I don't care if he comes today as long as he doesn't wear his uniform. That would just be weird," she says laughing.

"Yes it would. I'll call him. Maybe we can meet for lunch and then go."

"Bella, can Charles come too?"

I really want to say no but she has bonded with my dad so I see no reason not to ask him. "I don't know but I will ask him. Why don't you go get dressed and brush your teeth while I call Charlie and Edward."

"Okay!" she says as she practically runs to the bathroom and shuts the door, only to have to come back out and get her clothes and tooth brush. I just laugh at her silliness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"So, I called Charlie and he has to head back to Forks so he won't be able to come with us today. He said he'd come up in a few weeks and take you there himself," I tell Natalie when she gets done in the bathroom. I can't say I am upset that he can't join us.

"Aww, that sucks! But at least I get to see him again soon! What about Edward, can he go?"

"Yep, he'll meet us at the diner around the corner for lunch and then we'll ride with him to the zoo."

She bounces on her toes while clapping her hands. "That's great, get dressed so we can go!"

I hurry through a shower and pull my wet hair into a pony tail before dressing in a floral maxi dress and sandals. Natalie is wearing her beloved purple dress and toting her doll. I pack my purse with some snacks and a few bottles of water and we head out.

When we get to the diner, Edward is waiting at a table for us. He stands and his smile takes my breath away. He really is gorgeous. As we make our way to the table, I take in his appearance. His copper hair is shorn close to his scalp and his green eyes are bright as blades of fresh grass. He has on another "v" neck shirt and the coppery hairs that peak out, have me very intrigued as to how far they go. I notice his chest is well defined behind the thin shirt. He has on cargo shorts and a pair of well-worn gray Vans.

He reaches out and shakes Natalie's hand, making her giggle. "Nice to see you again, Miss Larks, how are you today," he says is mock formality.

"I am just lovely, it's nice to see you again as well," she answers him with the same silly tone.

"Oh you two are quite the pair," I say shaking my head. Edward looks up from Natalie and his eyes rake over my body before settling on my face. "Smooth," I laugh.

"You look beautiful," he says taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. I can feel the blush as it takes over my face.

"Thank you, you look quite handsome yourself."

We sit and Natalie keeps our attention focused on her while we order and wait for our lunches. She is chattering away about what she wants to see at the zoo. Watching her and Edward interact is possibly the sweetest thing I've ever witnessed. I love how he smiles and laughs when she gets really excited and how they play off each other. I even have to laugh when they think they've ganged up on me.

She is so free and more like a child than I've ever seen her. She doesn't seem to be trying to keep the focus on her like she used to do; now it seems more like she is a child out with her family. Our conversation flows easily, as if Edward had been a part of our little group since the beginning.

We eat our burgers and fries; Natalie once again gets a milkshake that she guzzles down. We head to the zoo with an agenda of which animals Natalie has to see.

In the car Edward keeps Natalie laughing as he sings along with the radio. I am completely infatuated with him already and every time I hear her laugh at something silly he does he digs down deeper into my heart. We pull up to the zoo as my two crazy companions are finishing up their version of 'Forget You' by Cee Lo. I'm sure anyone walking near our car could hear them singing at the top of their lungs!

We head inside and Natalie is ready to sprint through the place. "Honey, I promise you, we will get to see everything you want. We don't have to run through it," I say as I try to slow her quick little feet.

"I know but I'm just so excited. Can we go see the elephants first?" she asks pointing to the map.

"Yes, why don't we start on this end and work our way all the way around?" Edward offers.

We set of in search of the elephants, Natalie holding both our hands. I can't help but watch her as she gets to see every one of her requested animals. The elephants; where she practically climbed the fence to look at. The hippos that she thought were really gross up close because "they swim in their poop".

She spent a lot of time on Edward's shoulders while we walked around the large cat area; the snow leopard being her favorite. If I didn't know better I would think she and Edward were father and daughter. He gave her a lightness that she desperately needed. Her ribs were bothering her by the time we had gone half way around the large zoo so he carried her on his back for a good hour.

Before long she was really tired and ready to go home. We got her some ice cream and a face painting and then headed back to the hotel. She fell asleep quickly in the car.

"Thank you," I say quietly, taking Edward's hand in mine.

"What for? This was your idea."

"For making her so happy today. She really needed it. I've never seen her so carefree and happy, and I was the one who watched her drink her first milkshake," I say trying to make light of the enormity of the situation.

"She's a great kid. It was nothing. I'm always a little goofy around kids. It's like an excuse to act like one myself."

"Well, thank you. I really appreciate it."

The way he smiles at me has long ignored parts of me wanting attention. I have to remind myself that I've only just met him and that I am now living in a hotel room with a traumatized little girl. I don't know what our future holds because so much of it is up in the air but I know that after today it will include Edward in some way. Hopefully for both of our sakes everything works out for the best.

When we pull up to the hotel, Natalie is sleeping so hard that her head is leaned back against the window and her mouth is wide open, the softest snore coming from her.

Edward lifts his hand that is still encased in mine and waves it at me. "Can I have this back now?" he says with a chuckle.

"Oh, gosh I'm sorry. I didn't even realize I still had it," I say embarrassed.

He just kisses my knuckles again and says, "I did and I didn't mind at all." He looks at me for a moment and I know that he is going to kiss me so I bite my lip and lean forward slightly. He leans in and just before his lips touch mine, Natalie snores very loudly. We both laugh and lean our foreheads together.

"Later," is all he says as he pulls away and opens the door. He carries Natalie into the hotel and all the way to our room. He lays her on the bed and we meet in the kitchenette.

"I had a blast today," he says as he enters.

"I did too. Would you like to hang out for a while? I was going to cook some dinner and she and I will probably watch a movie tonight," I ask knowing I really don't want him to leave yet.

"I'd like that," he says as he moves close to me effectively pinning me between the counter and his body. I look up into his eyes and see that he wants to kiss me just as badly as I want him to. He wastes no time in crashing our lips together. It's not sweet or soft but needy and hurried. There is no hesitation in opening up to him. His tongue invades my mouth. I reach my arms up and around his neck and he lifts me up to the counter. I know this to too much too fast but I couldn't stop if I wanted to. I can feel the heat of his hands on my back as he presses into me fully. I wrap my legs around his and we kiss until we are both panting. He sneaks in a few small pecks as we catch our breath.

"I have wanted to do that since you walked into the diner today. I'm sorry if it was too much," he says.

"Not too much at all. I'm pretty sure I've never been kissed like that in my life," I say with a smile.

"That's too bad," he says as he kisses me again, this time slower and more seductively. When he pulls away I can't help the fears that overtake me.

"Edward, I really like you but I have to know something?" I say before I chicken out. "I have Natalie to think about and a lot of legal and medical stuff coming up, not to mention a book tour and probably moving, can you deal with that? Are you ready to date someone with all this stress because I can't start something with you only to have you freak out and take off?"

He steps back and I feel like I just got my answer. I drop my head and feel the tears start to form. He lifts my chin with his knuckle and when I look at him he is smiling.

"I don't know what the future holds for us but I am more than ready to find out. All day today I felt like we were a family; like we were made to be together, all three of us. I hate that we came together the way we did but I am thankful that I found you both," he says as he looks me in the eye. I can feel the sincerity in his words so I just smile and pull him in for another searing kiss.

"Good because that is exactly how I felt all day too. I'm gonna need a lot of help the next few months, I hope you are up for it," I say after we pull away. He smiles and pecks my nose.

"I couldn't be more ready."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I make chicken Alfred for supper and we sit around the table listening to Natalie talk about her favorite parts of the day. Everyone one of them includes something Edward or I did with her. I thought she'd talk about the zoo but nope, all of her favorite parts of the day are from lunch or the drive over to the zoo. We make plans to do something else the following weekend. Edward tells her that he knows lots of fun places to go.

After dinner we watch Despicable Me 2 and Natalie spends the last ten minutes of it watching Edward and I. I can see her out of the corner of my eye. Edward is sitting with his arm over the back of the couch playing with my hair.

When the movie is over Natalie says, "Will you guys get married and adopt me so we can be a family?"

I almost choke on the drink of soda I had just taken. Edward didn't miss a beat though, "I sure hope so."

"What?" I squeak out, quickly snapping my head in his direction.

He just smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

"Awesome!" Natalie squeals. I have to pull my focus back to her before I freak out.

"Well little girl, you need to go to bed. Go get cleaned up and get your jammies on."

She groans and stands up. Before she leaves the room she hugs Edward and whispers something in his ear. He kisses the top of her head and nods.

Once she is out of the room I smack his shoulder. "Why would you say that? I have no idea if I even can adopt her or if we will be stuck in limbo for ever because her mom is so bad," I snap angrily.

"Oh thank God that's what you are upset about. I didn't think about that part I could just picture us married and raising her as our own. I spoke before I thought. I'm sorry," he says looking embarrassed.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't even think about that part either. We just met how can you even be thinking of marriage?"

"How can you not? When I pictured us as a family today, it included wedding bands on both our hands. Isn't that the goal of every relationship?" he asks obviously puzzled by my contradicting declarations today.

"Look I don't have a lot of good examples of happy marriages so I am a little skittish about the whole institution of marriage."

"Well that's a story I definitely need to hear."

"Not tonight but I promise I'll tell you soon. Right now I need to get that little girl into bed."

"Do you want me to go?" he asks.

"Not really. But if you have to…"

"I don't."

"Good."

I leave the room to go help Natalie. When I come in the bedroom she is sitting in the big bed with the blankets pulled up to her waist. "Did I say something wrong?" she asks.

"No honey, you didn't. I'm sorry I freaked out."

"Don't you want to marry Edward? He's like perfect."

"It's not that simple, honey. We just met and it takes time to make that kind of decision not to mention getting to know each other well enough to make a commitment like that. Does that make sense?" I ask.

"Yeah I guess so. It's just that today was so amazing and it feels like we are a family. I didn't even think about my mom today, is that bad?" she says as she looks up with scared eyes.

"No baby it's not wrong. You had a great day with people who made you feel special. I don't think that's happened a lot for you so I'm glad you didn't think about anything sad today."

"But she's my mom and she's so sick. I feel bad for being so happy."

I don't know what to say to her so I just hug her tight and kiss her hair. After a moment I pull away and look into her eyes.

"Honey, I'd like for you to talk to a therapist. Do you think you could do that this week?"

"What's a therapist?"

"It's a doctor, like Dr. Walsh. You tell them how you are feeling and they listen and help you make sense of it," I explain.

"Oh, yeah that would be nice. I have so many things floating around in my head and I don't know how I feel about any of it."

"Okay then, I will call and set up a time for you to meet with someone. In the meantime you can tell me anything, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I know. I love you Bella," she says as she hugs me.

Hearing those words from her opens the flood gates and the tears just start flowing.

"Oh honey, I love you too. You are one special little girl," I say through my tears.

I read her a story and tuck her in before going to the bathroom to wash my face. While in there I take a moment to analyze my day and the crazy turn my life has taken in just one month.

I am starting a relationship with a great guy. I have a beautiful little girl that loves me and that I love more than I ever thought I could love another person. I have a book being released in a few days. My life is almost perfect.

I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. "Thank you God, for saving her and giving her to me. I hate to push my luck but if you could please find a way for us to be a family and for her to recover from this mess with as few scars as possible that would be wonderful. Oh and thank you for Edward, he's about perfect. Amen," I pray quickly.

I smile at myself and open the door heading back to the little sitting area where Edward waits for me. When I come in the room he is reading something on his phone. "Do you have to leave?" I ask nodding towards his phone.

"Oh. No. This is just a text from Jasper," he says smiling.

"And what does he have to say?" I pry.

"Not much. He sent me a picture."

"Of." I realize I am practically begging to see it but he is being so coy.

He just smiles and turns his phone around. On the screen is a picture of a rose with the words "Don't just be what she needs, be her everything" in a pretty script.

I thought for a second. "Why did he send that? Were you talking about me?" I ask.

"Yeah, he asked how our day went and I told him that we were going to start dating and see how it goes. He said that was awesome and then I got this."

"Wow, Jasper is kind of girly," I say without thinking.

"I have a feeling that Alice had a little something to do with it. Jasper is very intuitive but not quite that sappy."

"Yeah that's probably more like it. I'd love to meet Alice. She sounds like a fun person," I say changing the subject.

"She is and she really wants to meet you as well. Maybe we can plan something for next week."

"Sounds good to me. So Natalie is ready to see a therapist," I say, abruptly changing the subject. I did want to make plans but right now I need to talk about Natalie.

"Oh, did you get a referral from Dr. Walsh?"

"Yeah, a Dr. McCarty."

"Really? She's the wife of a friend of mine. She's damn good at what she does. We send a lot of kids her way from the station," Edward raves.

"Do you think she'll take Natalie even though you and I are dating and you are friends with her husband? That seems like a conflict of interests or something."

"I don't know but the other doctor in her practice, Dr. Weber, is also pretty good so I wouldn't worry about it. If Rosalie sees a problem she'll have Angela take the case."

"Ok good. I hate that she is so mixed up. I just wish I could make it all better for her," I say through the tears welling up in my eyes. Edward wraps his arms around me and pulls me in to his shoulder. "She's so young and she's dealing with so much. It's too much for me to deal with and she just seems to be taking it in stride. I guess it is part of how she was raised but she's just a little girl. It's so not fair."

When I'm finished ranting, Edward puts his hands on either side of my face and holds me so he can look right into my eyes. "You need to stop this. She is a tough little girl and it sucks that she is dealing with all this but she is dealing very well. You will help her get the help she needs and you will be there for her in a way no one has ever been. You are helping her already. You've given her a chance at a real childhood. It's not fair but here you are raising her as if you gave birth to her." His thumbs wipe the tears from my cheeks while I sniffle. I try to nod and pull away from his intense gaze but he shakes his head. "Nope, I'm not letting go until you promise to stop feeling sorry for Natalie."

"I promise to stop feeling sorry for her. I just can't stand that she is dealing with all this. I feel like it's partly my fault."

"You are kidding, right?" Edward says while rolling his eyes.

"No. If I hadn't left her alone with Heidi this wouldn't have even happened. If I hadn't ever started keeping her overnight, Heidi wouldn't have started bringing johns home and this wouldn't have ever been an issue."

Edward interrupts me by dropping his hands and standing up, causing me to nearly fall into the couch. "This line of thought stops right now. You did nothing wrong. Heidi promised you that she wouldn't bring them home while Natalie was there. You had a commitment that you had to attend that evening. You are not responsible for Heidi's terrible judgment. You are not responsible for that sick bastard's idea of fun. You are not responsible for any of this!" he emphatically states without ever raising his voice.

I stand up, "I know, logically, that I'm not responsible for this but that doesn't change the guilt that I feel for Natalie or for Heidi. I understand that it could have been much worse had I not been there but that doesn't change the fact that it happened or that I feel responsible. I don't expect you to understand but please don't tell me to stop feeling how I feel. With time I'm sure those feelings will go away, just don't expect me to change how I feel simply because you said to."

"I don't expect you to. I'm sorry if that's how I made you feel," he says with a shocked look on his face. "I certainly didn't mean to discredit your feelings."

"I'm sorry, I know. You are correct. I should stop feeling like this; it isn't good for me or Natalie. I know that I need to stop the thoughts that are trying to take root but it's just so hard not to feel guilty."

Edward wraps me in his arms and rocks us back and forth. After a minute he chuckles quietly. Without lifting my face from his chest I say, "What's so funny?"

"Did we just have our first fight?"

I pull away and smile. "I wouldn't say it was a fight. A disagreement or a discussion maybe, but not a fight," I say.

"Well can we still make up?" he says leaning in close.

I can feel his lips before they ever touch mine. "Of course."

He presses his lips to mine and all feelings of guilt are gone. I wrap my arms around his neck and try to get as close as I possibly can. He holds me tightly. I can feel his fingers as they tickle my spine. The kiss is soft and slow but filled with a longing that I can't even explain. When we finally pull away we are both out of breath and smiling stupidly.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" Edward asks.

"Don't you have to work?"

"Yes I do, but not till tomorrow night. I have all day."

"Okay but don't you need to sleep or something before work?"

"Yeah but if I go to bed around five I can get plenty of sleep before my shift at eleven. So how about I call you in the morning and we figure it out."

I smile and nod. "That would be great. I have to call the therapist and the hospital to check on Heidi. We'll probably sleep in a bit too. At least I hope so; I could use a good night's rest."

"I could stay and get up with Natalie if that would help," he offers with a smirk.

"I'm sure you'd love to stay the night but I'm not sure that's such a good idea." I have to cross my arms to cover the evidence of my arousal that is plainly showing through my dress.

"As much as I love that I have that effect on you," he says, moving his hands to my sides and giving me chills. "That's not my intention. I can see how tired you are and I'm sure Natalie will be up a few times so I can stay to help with her so you can rest."

"What if she freaks that you are here?" I say, although I really don't know that she would.

"She loves me. I think it will be fine. Go get changed for bed and I'll pull out the sofa bed."

I run off and get into a pair of blue fitted shorts and a pink tank top. I brush my teeth and wash my face. As I walk back to the sitting room, I catch Edward removing his belt and adjusting his jeans. "Are you going to be comfortable like that?" I ask, nodding to his jeans.

"I'll be fine."

"That's not what I asked."

"Why Miss Swan, are you trying to get me out of my jeans?" he teases.

I can feel the immediate blush on my entire face and neck. "No, of course not. I just think you are going to be uncomfortable in them."

"I probably will be but I don't think it would be wise for me to take them off and be in only my boxer briefs. As much as I'd love to crawl into this bed with you without denim between us, we are not ready for that and it would not be a good thing for Natalie to see me like that either."

So we went to bed, in the same bed, with him in a t-shirt and jeans and me in my jammies. He held me till I fell asleep and I didn't wake up one time all night. However, when I woke up the next morning there was a beautiful blonde in bed with us.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When my eyes opened the first thing I did was look at the time. It was only nine thirty but it felt much later. I felt rested. I then looked at the beautiful people lying next to me. Natalie was curled into Edward's chest and holding on to his t-shirt tightly. Edward was lying on his side facing the center of the bed with one hand tucked under his head where his pillow should have been. His pillow was between he and Natalie separating their bodies but Natalie had gotten as close as she could to him. His face was relaxed and peaceful. I resisted kissing both of their cheeks so as not to wake them. I slid out of the bed and grabbed my phone. I sneaked off to the bathroom to take a shower.

I took my time cleaning up and shaving. It felt so good to take all the time I wanted in the shower. When I got out I wrapped in a large towel and headed to the bedroom to change. As I was standing over my bag trying to figure out what to wear I heard a light knock on the door. I froze because I knew Natalie would have spoken to me before she knocked. It had to be Edward. I took a quick calming breath and turned around to face him. "Good morning, did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Yeah, Natalie woke up three times, but once she came to sleep with us she seemed to settle down easily," he said never taking his eyes off my face.

"I'm sorry she got up so much. Was she having nightmares or just waking up?" I asked while trying to keep the towel in a decent place. The movement of my hands brought his eyes to where they were moving.

"The first time was a pretty bad nightmare but the other two were her just being restless. I think she was afraid to fall asleep again," he spoke while perusing my body openly this time.

"Yeah, she's had some really bad ones since the incident. I'm afraid of what she is seeing in her dreams. Thanks for being here for her."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. It was nice to get to fall asleep next to you. Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

I blush. "Yeah, I did. What did I say?"

"Not much. You called out for Natalie a few times and cried a few times although I couldn't understand what you were saying. You said my name a few times too," he says with a smile while moving closer to me. I feel chill bumps rise on my skin just from knowing he is going to touch me. When he reaches me he softly runs his hands down my arms from my shoulders. My whole body responds and I shiver.

"I'm sorry, I should let you get dressed," Edward says but his actions contradict his words as he never removes his hands or moves back from me.

"Probably, but can I have a kiss first?" I boldly ask.

"You never have to ask for that."

He leans down and captures my lips with his in a strong kiss. I soon find myself leaning fully into his body and wrapping my arms around his neck. I slide my hands onto the back of his head feeling the cropped hair and pressing him further to me. He moans when I scrape his head with my short nails. That moan sets a fire in my lower abdomen. When I feel his hands on my back I realize that my towel has probably slipped down because the heat from his hands is on my bare skin. I moan and have to resist the urge to wrap my legs around his hips. I pull away from his kisses all the while keeping my body pinned to his.

"I think we better stop. My towel is nearly falling off."

"I hadn't noticed," he replies coyly while scraping my back with his fingertips. I shiver again. "I think I like that response."

"You would. Can you please pull the back of the towel up while I try not to flash you?" I ask trying to grab the front of the towel before I pull back. He slides the towel up my back and holds it in place. I think I have both sides of the towel in my hand and take a step back but when he lets go; I suddenly feel the towel slide off the left side of my body. I hear his breath catch and know that I am showing him my left boob and the rest of that side of my body. I try to catch the falling towel but by the time I react it has gathered on my right side. So now I am basically standing there with only one boob covered and I'm afraid to look to see how much of the rest of me is exposed. Edward tries to overt his eyes but I notice him taking short looks at different parts of me.

I realize that the only way to correct the towel is to turn or bend down but I just can't move. Edward walks over to the door and closes it, twisting the lock. My breath catches in my throat and I feel the heat come over me. I want so badly for him to touch me but I don't want to rush this. I try to say that but all I manage to get out is "Edward," in a whisper.

"Bella, you are so beautiful. I'm sorry for staring and I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable but may I please look at you."

I don't answer. I just stand there clutching the towel like a lifeline. I know he won't push me. I know he won't ask me to do something I'm not ready for. Once what I know in my heart catches up with my brain, I simply drop the towel to the floor. I want to close my eyes and wait for what's next but I can't stop watching his face. I notice movement and my eyes drift to his hands he is stuffing in his pockets. I smile, knowing he is trying to be good.

"Sorry, if I don't put them in my pocket I won't be able to keep from touching you."

"I figured that," I barely get out as I pull the towel from my hair.

"You are lovely. I hope you know that. Your skin is flawless. Do you work out or are you naturally this toned?"

Now that he's pointing things out I start to get self-conscious. "I work out. Well I used to, before I moved to Seattle."

"Well your abs are amazing and you must be a runner because your legs are as well."

"Thanks."

He continues to look at me some more and moves closer a step at a time. My heart is beating out of my chest by the time he is about a foot from me. I move to cover myself but he grabs my hands. "Please don't. You're gorgeous." He wraps his and my arms around my back and my body is flush with his.

"Thank you," I breathe. I tip my head back and look fully into his eyes. They are smoldering. The green is somehow darker and there are gold flecks that look like they are dancing in them. I am mesmerized by them, to the point that I don't even notice him moving us. When I finally realize I'm no longer standing in the center of the room, I have been pressed against the wall and his lips are on mine. He wastes no time parting my mouth and exploring me with his tongue. I am a moaning puddle of goo. He still has my hands trapped in his behind my back. I squeeze his fingers and he lets go. As soon as his hands are free they are everywhere. He seems to be trying to memorize my body with his touch. I take the opportunity to pull away from his kisses and he immediately attacks my neck. I have never felt so wanted; so needed. I begin pulling his shirt up and off. I can't see his body but I can feel it; every ridge and ripple of his abs. His back is so solid and I'd bet that the muscles are perfectly defined. I can feel his hardness pressed against my belly. I want to rub against him but there is a tiny, rational part of my brain still functioning that keeps me from doing it.

My mouth is taken over again and I can feel the beads of sweat on his forehead against mine. I can smell the arousal in the room. I know that if he were to reach between us he'd find me a wet, needy mess. He is a perfect gentleman though and his hands never really push those unspoken boundaries. He grazes my nipples and feels the weight of my breasts in his hands but never more than barely touches them.

"Edward. We have to stop," I whisper between kisses.

"I know," he replies although he only just slows down.

"Edward, we really need to stop. Natalie should be waking up any time."

He stops kissing my neck and rests his head on my shoulder. "You have no idea how hard it is for me to stop right now."

I just chuckle and say, "Oh I have a pretty good idea," while pressing myself against the bulge in his jeans.

"I suppose you do, I'm sorry," he says still trying to catch his breath.

"Don't be sorry. I quite enjoyed myself. I'm glad I have that effect on you."

He straightens up and steps away picking my towel up off the floor and handing it to me. "I really don't want to rush into anything but I just couldn't seem to help myself. You are a vixen, young lady." While I fix the towel I watch him put his t-shirt back on. His body is so sculpted. All the ridges I was feeling earlier I can now see stretch and contract as his shirt falls over them. I have to remind myself that we are having a conversation.

"No, I'm not. I was merely trying to get dressed when you took advantage of me."

I try to act indignant but fail miserably. "The only reason you are getting away with that is because you didn't know I was awake when you got out of the shower."

"Whatever!" I laugh at him. "I have to get dressed," I say and he turns to leave. "You might as well stay, you've seen all there is to see at this point."

He stops, turns around and with a crooked grin he says, "Well almost all."

I blush again. I cannot win with this guy. I wrap the towel all the way around myself and set about finding clothes.

I find a pair of pink cotton boy shorts and a white bra. I slip the panties on under the towel much to Edward's chagrin. So to make up for the tease I drop the towel and put the bra on very slowly. He just shakes his head at me. "Evil, you are."

"Okay Yoda. Dressed I must get," I say laughing. I pick up a pair of skinny jeans and a baby doll style tank top. "What are we doing today? I need to call the therapist and the hospital but I'd like to keep Natalie busy again. That strategy seems to be working well."

"Well I was thinking about meeting Alice and Jasper at the park. They have a daughter that is six. Maybe it would be good for Natalie to play with her."

"Aww, why didn't you mention before that you were an uncle? That sound perfect," I say.

"I don't know. It didn't really come up. Jamie is a little spitfire like her mom but she looks just like Jasper. I don't get to spend much time with her because of work but she is a fun little kid."

I slip the jeans on as gracefully as one can slip on a pair of skinny jeans. The top takes a little adjustment to get just right but quite quickly I am done and sliding into a pair of ballet flats. My hair is a mess I'm sure. I find a mirror to peek into and sure enough my hair looks like a rat's nest. "Look at this mess!"

"I like it. It sort of has that freshly fucked look about it."

"Um yeah, do you know how hard it will be to brush out now?" I complain.

"Are you complaining? Because I can learn to keep my hands to myself if that would help."

"Oh dear lord, no, I'm definitely not complaining. You are welcome to do that anytime you want."

He just smiles and kisses my nose. "Let's go check on our girl."

Hearing him call Natalie 'our girl' warmed me from the inside out.

I grab a hairbrush from the bathroom and follow him into the sitting room. Natalie is in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal.

"Good morning!" she says with a mouth full of Captain Crunch.

"Good morning baby. You didn't have to make yourself something to eat. I would have done it," I say running the brush through my crazy hair.

"It's okay. I'm used to doing it. You guys were busy so I decided to go ahead and eat."

I blushed and so did Edward. "Well, Miss Natalie, would you like to go to the park today and meet some of my family?"

"Oh my, gosh, yes."

"Ok then go get dressed and we will leave in a little while," I say.

She drinks the milk from her bowl and hops down, hugging us both on her way out of the room.

I clean up her mess. If she didn't leave a puddle of milk and cereal on the counter I'd forget she's only nine. Edward tells me he's going to run home and get cleaned up. "I'll be back within an hour." He kisses me and heads out. I take the opportunity to call Dr. McCarty's office.

"Perspectives, this is Lydia. May I help you?" a chipper voice says on the phone.

"Hi. I was referred to Dr. McCarty from Dr. Walsh. I need to make an appointment for my, dau, um foster daughter," I say clumsily. I hadn't given much thought to what I would call Natalie.

"Of course, what is your name?"

"Bella Swan. My daughter's name is Natalie Larks."

"Ok. How soon did you need to have her seen?"

"As soon as possible, she's been through a pretty traumatic experience in the last three days."

"Ok, how about this afternoon? Would four o'clock work for you?"

"Oh wow, yes definitely. We'll take it," I say happily surprised.

She schedules the appointment and takes Natalie's information. Once I have directions to the office we hang up.

Now I have to call the hospital and check on Heidi. I am dreading this conversation. I spend a few minutes trying to get to the ICU nurses station. Once I am finally connected, a sweet nurse named Lauren gives me some information and tells me that Dr. Cullen wants to speak to me.

Turns out that Heidi is progressively getting worse, she's not stabilizing. I am trying to wrap my head around how to tell Natalie when Dr. Cullen picks up the phone.

"Miss Swan, thank you for calling. I'm afraid I have some very bad news," he says.

"Yes Lauren was saying Heidi had a very rough night."

"Rough may be a bit of an understatement. She coded three times last night. We did some new tests today and found that she has some extensive organ damage. Some from the beating and some from disease; it appears she has hepatitis C. It's unclear if she even knew about it. She has very little in the way of medical history."

"Oh my. How bad is it?"

"Well her liver is basically not working at all and her kidneys are failing. Her heart is, for lack of a better definition, exhausted. Her right lung is bruised. Honestly it's as if she was beaten from the inside out."

"What do you recommend we do?"

"Honestly if she had not suffered such horrific spine and brain injuries, I'd say do whatever it took to get her better. However, her brain function is nearly non-existent. The spinal cord injuries are not something she'll overcome. There's very little hope for her even if she recovers from all the rest of her problems it is extremely likely she will never wake up," he says and then pauses for a moment before finishing, "I would recommend turning off the machines and letting her go."

"We can't make that decision for her though."

"I know but I can. She is not going to make it through multiple attempts to restart her heart. I don't look for her to survive for more than a few more days at most."

"Dr. Cullen, what exactly are you saying?"

"I can't pull the plug, so to speak, but I know from experience that her heart is not going to hold out much longer and the strain on her kidneys is not helping. She needs dialysis, which you cannot authorize. So we will keep her on the ventilator and keep her sedated but if she codes again and we can't bring her back, she will be gone. Like I said, she may have a few days at most."

"Ok. I guess I'll talk to Natalie about coming to see her and find out about what arrangements we need to make. Thank you so much for being so up front with me."

"Of course. Miss Swan, I'll be happy to help with anything I can," he offers.

"Dr. Cullen, please call me Bella."

"I mean it Bella, my wife and I would like to help as much as possible. You've won the heart of our son and what you are doing for Miss Larks and her daughter is remarkable."

"Thank you. Your son is a great man and I love Natalie so it's not so remarkable. I actually feel pretty fortunate to have her and Edward right now."

He gives me Esme Cullen's phone number and tells me to call her if I need help planning the funeral or anything else. He said to be careful because she is dying to meet me.

Natalie emerged from the bedroom about half way through my conversation with Dr. Cullen and tried to look like she wasn't paying attention to my conversation by watching cartoons. I knew it was a farce when I saw the tears on her cheeks.

"Baby, how much of that conversation did you hear?" I ask, wiping the tears away.

"All of your side. I could hear you in the bedroom. I also heard you make the appointment with the thera, ther-pist," she says stumbling over the word therapist.

"Yes, you have an appointment at four today."

"So my mom's not gonna be ok is she," she says like she knew already.

"No baby. She's not. Dr. Cullen says she probably won't make it more than a few more days. I'm so sorry honey," I say.

"Okay, I kinda had a feeling. Can we go see her tomorrow, or maybe tonight after the doctor? I want to say good-bye," she says as a tear streaks down her pale cheek.

"Of course sweetie," I cry. I pull her into me for a strong hug, letting her cry. She sobs for her mother or for herself, I don't know. I know she is too young to have to deal with all of this and I hate the man who did this. I hate Heidi for doing this to her. I hate that no one was there for Heidi all her life. I hate that this sweet baby is bawling right now. We stand in the kitchen crying and holding each other when there is a knock at the door. I struggle to pick Natalie up and carry her the ten feet to the door. I let Edward in and he immediately moves to take her from my arms. She may be tiny for her age but she's not a whole lot shorter than I am so I happily let him take her. She wraps herself around him and cries softly. He pats her head and strokes her hair. I continue to cry, the sweetness in front of me only adding to the emotion. He motions to me with one arm while holding Natalie with the other. He wraps his arm around me and sooths us both. When Natalie has finally gotten it all out she looks up at him and smiles.

"Can we go now?" she asks.

"Of course, honey. Go wash your face and we'll head to the park," Edward answers.

She hops down and runs off. He pulls me to him and hugs me tightly. "Bad news?" he asks.

"Yeah, your dad said that Heidi probably won't make it more than a few days. We are going to see her tonight. Natalie has an appointment with Dr. McCarty today at four."

"Oh wow. That's terrible. Good thing you got her in quickly. She obviously needs to let it out."

I wash my face in the kitchen sink then when Natalie emerges from the bathroom I head in to put on a bit of make-up. My face is puffy and my eyes are red from crying so I still look terrible. When I come back out Natalie is bouncing in place.

"Ready to go?" Edward asks.

"Yep," I answer.

"Finally!" Natalie jokingly grumbles.

I just smile at her, seeing her joke around is so nice.


	12. Chapter 12

**I am sorry this took so long. Real life has been unkind to my writing time. Please rest assured that I will not abandon this story, I love these characters and poor Natalie needs a happy ending. That being said this chapter is tough because she has her first therapy appointment and saying good bye to her mom looms.**

Chapter 12

At the park Natalie played with Jamie. She is a little shy at first but it doesn't take her long to take on the big sister role. Jamie will be seven in a few months but as an only child she was a little more grown up. She and Natalie got along great. Natalie is sometimes so grown up it is hard to remember she's only nine. I was thrilled that she was acting like a normal little girl. The sweet inquisitive little girl I met in the hallway was back today. They played on the monkey bars and acted like princesses in the 'castle' tower at the top of the slide. They giggled when Edward chased them. They became lifelong friends in an instant.

Alice is everything I could ever want in a girlfriend. She's very nice. She asks a lot of questions but she doesn't come off as nosey. She genuinely wants to get to know you. It is nice to have someone besides Edward to talk to. She is very petite like me; we are actually the same size. She has shoulder length dark hair and olive skin. She is very Mediterranean looking. She has light green almost gray eyes. Edward's are similar but his are more green than gray. I would almost bet that Alice's eyes change color with her moods.

Jasper is observant. I guess that helps in his line of work. He didn't say a whole lot to me but he paid close attention to what Alice and I talked about when he wasn't chasing the girls around with Edward. Edward kind of left me to talk with Alice and Jasper while he played with the girls. He would occasionally stop and kiss my cheek or run his hand across my hip as he ran by. I caught him smiling at me a few times. We made plans for a night out with Alice and Jasper; of course we had no idea when it would actually happen.

Natalie and I had to head out around three to be able to make it to her appointment. She didn't want to leave but she didn't throw a fit. She hugged Jamie, Alice and Jasper, promising to see them again soon. Edward walked me to my car, carrying Natalie the whole way. He gave her a little pep talk as he helped her with her seatbelt.

"Everything will be fine, kiddo. Just remember the doctor can't help you understand what you won't tell her about. You can call me tonight if you want," he tells her. She nods at him and smiles.

He kisses her forehead and then stands up, shutting the door. He pulls me in for a big hug. "Call me if you need anything. I know today is going to really hard and I don't want you thinking you have to do it alone. I'll be there in a blink if you call," he says.

"I know. Thank you," I say knowing I won't call him unless I really can't cope or Natalie needs him. He has to sleep before work.

"I mean it, Bella," he scolds, reading my thoughts.

I just nod and kiss him. He is reluctant at first but relaxes and lets me have control of his mouth. Once I feel like I have lingered too long I pull back and move to get in my car. "I'll talk to you tonight. Call me on your break," I say.

"That won't be until after two in the morning. I'll just talk to you in the morning," he replies.

"It will be fine. I'll probably be up. Jasper says the apartment is nearly ready and I want to figure out our next steps."

"Okay, if you're sure," he says as he leans in the window to kiss me one last time. I nod and smile, start the car and ease out on the street.

"Bella, are we moving back to the apartment?" Natalie asks from the back seat.

"I don't know. Do you want to?"

"Not really but I don't want you to have to move again."

"Oh honey, don't you worry about that. I want you to feel safe and besides we need a bigger place now," I say hoping to reassure her.

"Yeah, I guess we do," she says smiling widely.

"I'll search for some places to go see. Maybe we can move in a week or so," I say hopefully. "So are you ready to talk to the therapist?"

"Yeah, I think so," she says nervously.

We drive the rest of the way in relative silence. She sang along with the radio with her eyes closed and head tilted back. When we pulled up outside the office, I was worried she had fallen asleep. I got out and opened her door. I didn't want to scare her if she was really asleep.

"Natalie, baby, we're here," I whispered.

"I know. I'm awake," she said with a smile. She was faking it.

"Silly girl!"

She popped the buckle open and hopped out. "Let's go!" she said.

We walk across the street and into the lobby. At the first desk we find out we have to go up to the fourth floor. We take the elevator, Natalie pushing the button, to the right floor. When the doors open we enter into the waiting room of Dr. McCarty's office. 'Perspectives' is a fitting name as there are framed prints of the "Eagle" sculpture at Olympic Sculpture Park. Each photo is taken from a different angle or distances making the sculpture look completely different. The room is painted beige with blue accents. The only other color in the room is the red from the sculpture in the photos. Natalie finds a seat while I check her in. The woman at the desk is a young woman with blonde hair pulled up into a smart ponytail. She is smiling warmly at me.

"Welcome to Perspectives, I'm Lydia."

"Hi, thank you. I am Bella Swan. Natalie Larks has an appointment at four with Dr. McCarty."

"Oh yes. I need you to fill out these forms for her," she says handing me a clipboard with a stack of paper attached. "Also, because of the nature of the case both Dr. McCarty and Dr. Weber will meet with you today."

"Oh ok, that's good, I suppose," I say, thinking that maybe then Natalie won't have to repeat her story if she ends up having to see Dr. Weber.

"Just have a seat and they will be with you shortly," Lydia says with a patient smile.

I sit down and start filling out what I can on the forms. I know the basics and only have to ask Natalie a few questions. Before I'm even through the second sheet, the door to the waiting room opens and a stunning blonde is calling Natalie's name. We both rise and walk towards her. She is like the sun and we are pulled towards her. She bends to greet Natalie with a warm smile and a pat on the back. Natalie beams at her. I have to shake my head to clear my thoughts. She is just so damn beautiful. Usually when I meet women this gorgeous I feel inferior but for some reason I don't this time. It's a strange feeling. She smiles and greets me, "Miss Swan, Dr. Walsh sings your praises. I'm happy to finally meet you."

"Well thank you, but I don't see why she insists on being so complimentary. Once you meet Natalie you'll see why it's a no brainer to help her." I say knowing exactly what Dr. Walsh has said.

"If you worked in our field you'd more than understand why we praise people who step up when no one else will."

"Yes, I suppose that's true."

We follow her back to a large room filled with toys and small tables. Natalie's eyes light up and she is suddenly anxious. Her anxiety registers with Dr. McCarty and she immediately questions it.

"Natalie, is something wrong?"

"Oh no, I thought we were supposed to talk. This looks like a toy store," she says looking around slightly confused.

"We will talk but I really like to be in this room. It is just so much fun."

"Oh ok," she says as she heads to a small table covered with coloring books and a basket of crayons. "May I color in these books?"

I can tell she's nervous because she is being very quiet and overly polite. Well not overly polite but uncharacteristically formal. Dr. McCarty nods her ascent and Natalie gets comfortable at the table.

I watch her as Dr. McCarty leads me to a sofa and chair set up across the room. We both sit and she takes a notebook from the case I didn't even know she was carrying. "Miss Swan, I'd like to first speak to you and then when Angela gets done with her patient, she and I will speak to Natalie. You won't be in the room but I will set you up in the next room so you can hear and see us." She points to the mirror on the far wall.

"Ok that sounds good. First may I ask a question?" I say and she nods. "I am just beginning a relationship with Edward Cullen. Will this be a problem; he mentioned you are a friend of his."

"Oh my, you are 'the' Bella. I'm so happy to meet you. Edward has told me so much about you. He didn't mention that you would be calling me though. As long as it is not a problem for you I don't see any reason why I couldn't take Natalie on. Dr. Weber, Angela, is a very skilled and quite gifted therapist so she and I will work together if we see reason to. I like to have a backup plan. In case she needs something and I'm not available."

"Okay. She has been through so much. We have to go to the hospital today to see her mother. It appears she will likely pass away very soon."

"Have you noticed any anger from Natalie regarding her mom?"

"Yes but then she seems to feel guilty about it. She seems so grown up one minute and then she is playful and silly like a child the next. She's having nightmares too."

"I'm sure she is. The notes that Dr. Walsh gave me are pretty thorough. Natalie witnessed something that would torment most adults. Has she asked any questions about what she saw?" she asks while taking down some notes.

"Yeah she asked me, what rape was?" I tell her; just remembering that conversation makes me want to cry.

"Ok, how did you answer her?"

"I told her that rape is when someone forces someone else to have sex. Then she told me that a boy at school told her what sex is. He wasn't lying according to her story and I told her that she wasn't ready to know more than that."

I hope I wasn't wrong in that decision. What is it about sitting in front of a therapist that makes you second guess everything?

"Oh wow. Good job. How did she handle that?"

"Ha, really well, I distracted her with a trip to the zoo."

"See you were born to be a parent!" she says with a laugh. "So when did she find out her mom was dying?"

"This morning. She bawled so hard I had to pick her up. Edward came in just in time. He ended up holding her for a while. He was able to soothe her."

"She isn't afraid of him?" she says sounding a little surprised.

"Of Edward? No way! She loves him. He is so good to her too. Come to think of it, she doesn't seem to be scared or nervous around any men. At least not that I have seen."

"Oh well that's really good. Surprising, but very good news."

Just then a tall woman with long brown hair comes in the door. She is also quite beautiful in an unassuming way. I smile at her and she comes over to the couch. "Hi, Miss Swan, I am Dr. Weber."

"Please call me Bella. Both of you, I would really prefer it."

"Same here. Please call me Angela," she says, smiling widely.

"Well I don't prefer it but you are welcome to call me Rose," she says with a laugh.

"How about we talk to Natalie now?" Rose asks.

"Of course," I say, looking to see Natalie is watching us like a hawk. "I think she's ready."

I walk over to where she is coloring and squat down, "Honey, I'm going to let the doctors speak with you. I'll be just outside if you need me. Remember what Edward said and be a brave girl. They just want to help you understand what's going on."

"I know. I will," she says confidently. All my worries dissipate. She is ready to talk and she is so grown up. Too grown up!

I kiss her head and stand up. As I head out the door, Angela leads me to the adjacent room and sets up the sound system. Soon Rose's voice fills the room.

"She'll be fine. She is pretty strong and it seems that she is very grown up for a child her age. I think we will actually get to hear a lot from her today. That's rare for us. Most kids just sit and let us talk the first few sessions."

"Oh well that's good to know. She's definitely ready to talk. She has so many conflicting emotions going on right now." I take my seat and watch as Rose starts coloring the page next to Natalie's current work of art. As Angela enters the room I hear Rose begin her introductions and start asking Natalie questions to get her talking. However, Natalie doesn't really need any kind of leading and jumps right in with her first statement.

"My mom is going to die. Probably very soon; Did Bella tell you that?"

Rose doesn't miss a beat. "Yep, she sure did. She also said that you were very upset when you found out."

Natalie nods and a tear falls on the paper. She doesn't wipe it off; instead she moves the book away from her. "I feel bad because she didn't have to get hurt. She didn't have to let him come over. She could have told him no, but she didn't. It's like she didn't care that it wasn't safe. Bella made her promise that she wouldn't have the men over when I was there, she said she wouldn't do that," she cries, tears pouring from her eyes.

"Sometimes adults make bad decisions. Do you think she didn't care?" Angela asks.

"No, I think she was scared." Natalie answers. I am floored; where did that come from.

"Scared? Why would you think that?" Rose asks.

"She was always worried about money. Always. Like we weren't rich or anything but we had everything we needed. She just always said it wasn't enough. We always had food. Well, almost always but I always had something to eat. We had clothes and water and a place to live. If I got sick, I went to the doctor. If I needed shoes or something for school, she would get it. I didn't see her very much but I always knew she was coming home."

"Let's talk about that for a second," Angela says, halting Natalie's one sided conversation. "Did you know where you mom was when she was gone for a long time?" She is referencing the days spent in jail.

"No but when she got back she was better. She always looked so tired except for after she was gone for a few days. She would need a bath but she wasn't tired anymore. She didn't take very good care of herself," she says sadly.

"How so?" Rose probes.

"Well, she didn't eat very much and she didn't get much sleep. Once Bella came though, she did better. She was still very tired but she ate a lot more."

"That's good. Bella helped a lot didn't she?" Angela asks.

"Oh gosh, yes! She bought me lots of snacks and let me play at her apartment. Mom asked her to let me spend the night and I got to stay with her almost every night. It was so much fun."

"Natalie, I'm happy Bella was there for you. Now I have to ask some questions that might be kind of hard to answer but I want you to be honest," Rosalie says.

Natalie nods and looks at her hands.

"Before Bella came, did your mom ever hit you?"

Natalie nods again. "Yes, she didn't do it a lot, only when I went out of the apartment while she was gone or if I didn't clean up my messes."

"Where did she hit you? Was it like a spanking on the bottom?" Angela asks.

"Most of the time she would spank me but if I was really bad she would slap my face. It hurt more when she did that."

"Were there ever any times when she hit you somewhere else?"

"Yes, one time she grabbed my arm," she points to her upper arm, "and dragged me to my room. Then she started hitting me all over. I cried and asked her to stop but she just kept yelling and hitting me. I had to miss school the next day because my arms and legs were bruised pretty bad."

"Oh honey, I'm sorry that happened. Why did she do that?" Rosalie asks.

"I left the apartment to go play outside and was still outside when she got home. I usually got back inside before she got home but she came home early that time. She was mad when I opened the door to the apartment. I knew I was in trouble but it was so much worse than ever before," Natalie says, starting to cry again.

"Okay well, I just want you to know that you didn't do anything to deserve that. No one deserves to be hit like that. Do you understand me, honey?" Rosalie says, with sadness in her voice.

"I know. I think she was mad about something else before she got mad at me too. Are we done now?"

"Yeah, we are. Can you come back next week to see us again?" Angela asks.

"Yeah, but I'll have to talk to Bella about it," she says sounding grown up again.

"Ok great! I'll tell Bella to make an appointment before you leave. It was great talking to you today. I'm really happy you came to see us!" Rosalie says as she stands up.

Angela and Natalie follow her to the door. I meet them in the hallway.

"Bella! Can I come back next week?" Natalie says a little too loudly as she runs to me. She wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me tightly.

"Of course, Honey. We'll make an appointment on the way out," I say. We head to the desk and make an appointment for the following Thursday. I smile at Natalie as I grab the appointment card.

Natalie smiles widely and then suddenly tears streak down her cheeks. "We have to go to hospital now, don't we?" she asks.

I nod and feel the tears well in my eyes. "Let's go eat something first." I hug her to my side and we turn to leave.

We eat a small meal at a local fast food place in relative silence. The weight of what's coming holding Natalie down. I want to tell her she doesn't have to go but I feel like if she doesn't say good bye she will regret it. I just want to keep her from hurting so much.

After she has finished the last French fry on her tray she looks down, takes a deep breath and lifts her blue eyes to my face. "I'm ready now," is all she says.


End file.
